


I Could Write a Book

by groolover



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2013-06-18
Packaged: 2017-12-15 09:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/847873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/groolover/pseuds/groolover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ginny and her Holyhead Harpies team-mates have been drinking all afternoon. Harry is late. Things go downhill from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Could Write a Book

**Author's Note:**

> Author/Artist LJ Name: groolover  
> Prompter: blossomdreams  
> Prompt Number: 94  
> Title: I Could Write A Book  
> Pairing(s): Harry/Draco; very brief Harry/Ginny at the start, but their interaction is in conversation only.  
> Summary: Ginny and her Holyhead Harpies team-mates have been drinking all afternoon. Harry is late. Things go downhill from there.  
> Rating: NC-17  
> Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.  
> Warning(s): A bit of sexual content and a bit of adult language, but not much of either. Otherwise, just a tiny bit of angst and a lot of major fluff.  
> Epilogue compliant? Not particularly.  
> Word Count: 22000  
> Author's Notes: I owe all the gratitude in the world to the amazingly supportive and patient Smoochfest mods, without whom this story would never have been completed. Also to my ever-lovely beta.
> 
> Dear prompter, I know you asked for humour, but I didn't manage to get much into this, I'm afraid. I did get most of your other requests in, though, so I hope you like it anyway.
> 
> There are more author's notes at the end – you'll see why!

"I'll race you," said Harry to Ron, rapidly scanning the report he'd just finished writing. He'd tried especially hard to make this one legible; maybe, for once, the secretaries wouldn't glare at him. "Last one there buys the first round."

 

"Sod that for a game of soldiers," said Ron, who had recently heard this phrase and now insisted on using it as often as possible. "You know you always win. Here, give me your report and I'll take them both up. You'd better get to the pub before Ginny notices how late we are."

 

"Well, at least she hasn't sent a Howler yet," Harry pointed out, but he hurriedly reached for his cloak anyway. The Howler incident had happened two months earlier, in his first week as a fully-trained Auror, and people still teased him about it.

 

"She probably has noticed the time, but it's not like she's stuck there on her own," said Ron, as Harry left the office. "She'll be with her teammates. They'll be having a great time slagging you off."

 

"Great," muttered Harry to himself; he knew Ron was correct. Ginny was the perfect girlfriend when it was just her and Harry, but she did seem to delight in pointing out his flaws whenever she had an audience. At first he had tried to argue, but he'd soon realised that she had to have the last word, so he found it saved a lot of time if he just grinned and accepted her accusations. It didn't mean he had to like it, but he knew she put up with a lot of hassle by being his girlfriend, so he considered it a fair exchange.

 

When he reached the Leaky Cauldron, he winced, because he could hear Ginny's voice while he was still outside. He couldn't make out any actual words, though – just the shrieking and excessively loud talking of a group of women who had clearly been drinking all afternoon. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

 

The pub was packed, as was to be expected on a Friday teatime. Most of the customers were employees of the shops on Diagon Alley, but there were also a few Aurors scattered around, their scarlet robes immediately drawing attention. Harry nodded to each of them as he made his way through the room. He was surprised to notice Draco Malfoy sitting on his own at the bar, and almost stopped for a brief word until a particularly loud scream of laughter from the far corner reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing. Harry had been as shocked as everyone else when Draco had joined the Aurors, but three years of training together had made him realise that Draco was actually not as obnoxious as Harry had previously assumed. 'Malfoy' had gradually become 'Draco', and these days they got on reasonably well at work.

 

Seeing Draco in the pub was a first, though, but Harry resolved to investigate this another time; he exchanged a nod with Draco and headed for the gaggle of women at the back of the bar.

 

"HERE HE IS!" shouted one of them. "GINNY, YOUR FAMOUS BOYFRIEND HAS REMEMBERED YOU EXIST."

 

"Oh, shut up, Joanne," said Ginny a bit too loudly, turning to look. "He knows I exist. He'd just rather be at work than be with me. But I'll forgive him because he's HOT." She jumped up from her chair and tried to step towards Harry, but somehow managed to get her feet tangled with each other and fell sideways into her friend's lap, giggling.

 

Harry grinned, amused despite his irritation. "Hello, Ginny," he said. "Hello, Harpies."

 

"HELLO, HARRY," they all chorused, and then collapsed in laughter.

 

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm going to the bar," he announced. "Who wants a drink?"

 

Needless to say, none of them declined this offer, but luckily they didn't seem too fussy about what drink they actually got, so Harry took the easy option and ordered a round of Firewhiskey for everyone. Then there was a kerfuffle because Gwenog insisted on letting Harry have her seat because he'd been working all day, and the rest of the Harpies then all tried to make Gwenog have their seats because she was by far the oldest member of the team, and in the process Joanne ended up sitting on Janet's knee, and the two of them thought this was the funniest thing ever. Harry found himself on the far side of the table from Ginny, on a stool next to Gwenog with his back to the bar; Ginny was in the corner seat, hemmed in by the Joanne/Janet combination on one side and the other three Harpies on the other.

 

"So, did you win last night?" Harry asked, thinking that this seemed a safe enough opening topic.

 

"We thrashed them," said Ginny, beaming. "680 nil! Janet played a blinder in goal. Nothing could get past her. We didn't see the Snitch for ages, but it wasn't a problem because we just couldn't stop scoring. Best game ever."

 

"I do feel a bit sorry for Puddlemere, though," said Gwenog. "It was their biggest ever defeat. But it serves them right for stealing our top scorer!"

 

"Our ex-top scorer," Janet pointed out. "Our new top scorer is Ginny. She scored more goals last night than Wilda scored in the whole of last season! Wilda did look quite embarrassed at the end of the match. Bet she regrets leaving us now!"

 

"Wow, Ginny, that's brilliant," said Harry, impressed. "I wish I'd been there to see it."

 

"Yeah, right," said Ginny. "When was the last time you came to see one of my games? You never come to watch any more!"

 

"I came to the last one that was on a Saturday!" Harry protested. "These midweek games just don't fit in very well with work. I know they're more exciting, with the floodlights and everything, but I'd be able to come much more often if all the games were at weekends."

 

"The stadium was full last night, so obviously some people manage to fit it into their lives," Ginny said acidly.

 

"Well, not everyone is..." Harry began. Then he took a breath, and continued in a quieter voice, "Look, I'm really sorry. I do want to come and watch. I'm hoping it'll be easier at work after I've been there a bit longer. But you know I don't want to be accused of..."

 

"... of taking advantage of being the Chosen One," finished Ginny. "I know. I do, really. It's just hard. At the press conference after the game, I was looking forward to questions about me breaking the scoring record, but..."

 

"Oh, no," said Harry, dismayed. "Please tell me the first question wasn't 'Where's Harry?'"

 

"All the questions were 'Where's Harry?'" said Ginny. "And they call themselves sports reporters! It was pathetic. But then they're always like that, so I wasn't really too surprised. Still disappointing, though."

 

"I'm sorry, Gin, I really am," said Harry. "I'll come to your next game, I promise. And I look forward to seeing the Pensieve highlights of last night's."

 

"It's OK," said Ginny. "I know you're doing important things. I do worry when I don't know exactly where you are, though, now you're working on actual cases out in the field."

 

"You don't need to, really," said Harry. "I'm always with Ron, and in any case they don't send us on any of the really dangerous stuff. Not yet, anyway."

 

"I know, and I know you can both look after yourselves," said Ginny. "I can't help it, though. But, you know what? When we get married it'll be great! The bonding spell means I'll always know where you are."

 

"Look, we've talked about this," said Harry, alarmed. "It's not that I don't want to marry you, I just don't think we need to rush into it. There's plenty of time."

 

"How much time does he need?!?" demanded Joanne, startling Harry; he'd forgotten anyone else might be listening. "You've been together for years! I think he doesn't want to get married."

 

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ginny beat him to it. "Leave him alone, Joanne. It's not really your business. Harry and I will decide when we're getting married. It's nothing to do with anyone else."

 

Harry looked at her gratefully, but she wasn't finished. "I was just saying that the spell would be useful, so I'd always know where he was."

 

"Well, if you're going to get married eventually anyway, you could just do the spell now, couldn't you?" suggested Joanne. "Then when you have the ceremony they can just say it again. What difference does it make?"

 

"It makes a lot of..." began Harry, horrified, but Ginny was staring at Joanne with a huge grin on her face.

 

"You're right! What difference does it make? Joanne, that's a brilliant idea!"

 

"Wait, Ginny, don't..."

 

But Ginny was already pointing her wand across the table towards Harry. "Concatena!" she cried, at the same moment as Harry felt a hand grab his arm. The last thing he saw before he passed out was a shower of silver stars falling onto him.

 

******

 

When Harry regained consciousness, it took him a minute to remember what had happened. There were voices talking quietly nearby, but no other noises, so he probably wasn't still in the bar. Also, it felt as if he was lying on a bed. And he could still feel Draco's hand on his arm.

 

That made him open his eyes, and he found himself looking at Draco, who was sitting next to him on the bed. Draco looked quite worried, but then he smiled reassuringly at Harry.

 

"How did I know it was your hand on my arm?" Harry wanted to know. "In fact, why is your hand on my arm?"

 

"Because it will hurt you if I let go," Draco explained.

 

Harry stared at him, bemused. "What?"

 

"I can try, if you like, but I don't want to hurt you," said Draco.

 

"I think you're going to have to, Draco," said Ron, moving into Harry's line of sight. "He'll never believe it otherwise."

 

"Ron! When did you get here? What's going on?" Harry was starting to feel a bit panicky, reassuring though Ron's presence was.

 

"A total cock-up is what's going on, and I got there just in time to witness it," said Ron. "Which was about an hour ago, before you ask. But I do think you're more likely to accept it once you see what happens when Draco lets go of you. Go on, Draco."

 

Draco looked at Harry apologetically, and then removed his hand. At first nothing happened, but then Harry gradually began to feel as if his whole body was being pricked by pins and needles. The sensation intensified within a minute, until those same pins and needles were apparently being rammed through his skin and then yanked out at a different angle, every couple of seconds and in a hundred places at once. Harry shouted out involuntarily, and then all the pain stopped in an instant; Draco had replaced his hand on Harry's arm.

 

"What the fuck?" said Harry, his chest heaving as he regained his breath.

 

"I know, mate," said Ron sympathetically. "Right, here's what happened. I walked into the pub just as my idiot drunken sister decided to hit you with a bonding spell. I couldn't get to her in time to stop her. Draco saw what was happening but he couldn't get to her either, but he could get to you. He tried to pull you out of the way, but he wasn't quite fast enough, and the spell hit both of you."

 

"And the thing with the Concatena spell is that... well, if it hits one person, it does bond them to the caster, but if it hits two people who are touching, it bonds them to each other," said Draco. "I'm sorry."

 

Harry closed his eyes and then opened them again. "So, you're saying... we're bonded? You and me? Bonded? ... OK. So how do we reverse it?"

 

Draco looked distraught. "Erm," said Ron. "You don't, I'm afraid. It's kind of permanent."

 

"PERMANENT?!? But... Look, Draco, it's nothing personal, I promise, but I didn't particularly want to be bonded to anyone," said Harry.

 

"I know that," said Draco quietly. "I couldn't help overhearing the conversation – Ginny was talking quite loudly – but I would have known that even if I hadn't. I'm so sorry I've got you into this mess. I was just trying to help, but I've made things worse. If I'd been thinking more quickly I would have realised that there was a possibility of this happening, but I was just trying to get you out of the way of the spell. I realise now that you'd be happier if I hadn't interfered – you'd still be bonded unwillingly, but at least it would be to someone you want to be with."

 

Harry stared at him, his mind whirling. For a moment he was distracted by the thought that he didn't think he'd ever heard Draco say that much in one go before, but then the present came crashing back. "Well... Listen, this is all a bit much to take in. And I have no idea how we're going to deal with it. But I do trust you enough to know that you were trying to help, and I appreciate that. And I suspect that this is going to cause you just as many problems as it does me, so it's just as well we're all on speaking terms these days, even if we don't really know each other particularly well."

 

"Yet," said Ron.

 

"Yet what?" asked Harry.

 

"You don't know each other very well yet," said Ron. "You will soon, though. The bond won't let you be apart for quite a while. You're right about one thing, though. Think how much worse this would have been if we still hated Draco like we did at school!"

 

Draco winced, and Harry was startled to feel a brief surge of sadness deep inside his chest. He somehow knew it was Draco's emotion rather than his own, and suddenly wondered what Draco could feel of his emotions.

 

"Wait a minute," said Harry, realising what else Ron had just said. "The bond won't let us be apart for quite a while? You mean we will be able to let go eventually?"

 

"Well, duh," said Ron. "Of course you will eventually. It's just for the first day or two that it's this intense. Within a week you'll be able to be in separate rooms, although you'll still feel a bit uncomfortable. It usually takes about a month before you can be properly apart for any length of time without any negative symptoms, although you'll still be aware of each other."

 

"OK," said Harry, trying to process all this. "But I don't really understand why the bonding spell does all that."

 

"The short answer is 'it just does'," said Draco. "It doesn't really need to, in most cases. The physical aspects were more important in the past, when arranged marriages were much more common than they are now. The spell was designed to force couples to stay together long enough to get to know each other properly. Really it would make sense to use a different spell these days, but Concatena is the traditional one, and no-one's ever suggested changing it."

 

Harry nodded in understanding. "Don't suppose it'll make much difference to us if they change it now," he said lightly. Draco squeezed his arm in sympathy. "Hey, where's Ginny? And where are we, anyway?" wondered Harry suddenly. He sat up and looked around the room.

 

Draco raised his eyebrows, but it was Ron who said: "Interesting that it took this long before you asked, don't you think? Ginny's gone home. And we're upstairs in the Leaky Cauldron. She was here for a while, but she got a bit upset when she found she couldn't touch you. She was feeling a bit guilty about what she'd done – although she didn't really realise what a big deal it was until I used a sobering spell on her – but it only really sank in when she put her hand on your face and you screamed."

 

"I screamed? ... Oh. You mean no one other than Draco can touch me?"

 

"Want me to prove it? It'll hurt," said Ron. Harry considered this for a second, then nodded. Ron promptly touched Harry's leg with one finger, and Harry jerked as a sharp pain ran through his body from the point of contact. He didn't scream, though.

 

"Well, that's because I very thoughtfully touched you on a clothed part of your body," Ron pointed out, when Harry said so. "It's much worse on bare skin. Now, listen, I know Ginny did something incredibly stupid, and it's definitely put her off ever getting that drunk again, but... well, she's still my sister. And she honestly didn't mean to hurt you. Please will you be kind to her?"

 

Harry looked at him, puzzled.

 

"When you next see her. She knows that the two of you can't be together after this, but I don't think it's really sunk in yet. It'll take a while. So please will you be nice to her until it does? I can understand if you just want to yell at her, but it won't actually make any difference."

 

Draco squeezed Harry's arm again. "Harry. You did realise that you and Ginny are finished, didn't you?"

 

Harry turned to meet Draco's gaze, at a loss for words. "Erm," he said eventually. "I realise that now. It honestly never occurred to me. I'm... not as upset about it as I think I probably should be. Is that part of the spell?"

 

Draco and Ron looked at each other. After a moment of silent communication, Ron nodded and turned back to Harry. "Well, no," he admitted. "Look, I wasn't sure, and I didn't like to ask, but... You and Ginny. It's not really been working lately, has it? Not like it used to, at least. And it's been obvious for a while that you didn't really want to marry her. I think that's why you're not all that upset that it's over."

 

"But I love Ginny!" protested Harry. "It's just... well, before we were together I used to think that everything would be perfect when we were. But that was when I was still a kid. I'm supposed to be practically a grown-up now, aren't I? And part of that means accepting that nothing is perfect. I did want to marry her eventually. Just... not yet. I'm only twenty-one! What's the rush?"

 

"OK," said Ron. "Whatever you say. Just as long as you realise that at this point it doesn't really make much difference what you did want. You're with Draco now."

 

Harry's head snapped back to Draco. Draco rolled his eyes. "Let me guess – you hadn't really taken in the full implications of that either, had you?"

 

"Erm," said Harry. "I don't think I had, no. And I feel awful that I haven't asked this until now, but... are you with anyone?"

 

"Well, I am now," said Draco. "But, no. I'm not involved with anyone else."

 

"And what about sex?" asked Ron calmly.

 

Harry felt his face redden, but it was Draco who responded. "Look, Ron, I really appreciate your help with all this – you being here has definitely made things a lot easier – but I think that's something Harry and I would be better discussing in private. And it can wait – it's not the most urgent thing we need to sort out, is it?"

 

"But Harry's not..." Ron began.

 

"We'll be fine," Draco interrupted. "Harry, all you need to know at this stage is that the Concatena spell does not force people to have any sort of sexual relationship. The physical effects we've already showed you are the limit of the spell's influence. So you can take all the time you need to decide what you want to do about sex."

 

"Not just me," said Harry, his head starting to ache with all the confusing thoughts that were spinning around inside it. "This obviously involves both of us, and your needs are just as important as mine. But it is reassuring to know that we won't be forced into anything. Thank you."

 

"You do still need to decide what you're going to do now, though," Ron pointed out. "About life in general, I mean. To start with, where are you going to live? And... Harry, I don't really think you and I can work as partners. Not while you're physically attached to Draco, anyway. So I was thinking I'd suggest to Kingsley that I should work with Chris for the time being."

 

"He's a good bloke," commented Draco. "I was worried that I'd get a partner who'd give me a hard time because of my past, but he's been fine. I'm sorry again, though, Ron. I forgot this would affect you too."

 

"Hey, it's not a big deal," said Ron. "It might even be good for us all. Harry and I are quite similar in our methods. Working with someone different will probably make us both better Aurors."

 

Draco smiled at him gratefully. Harry was still stuck on Ron's first question, though. "Where shall we live? Do you want to move into Grimmauld Place? There's plenty of room, and there's no-one else there to bother us. Well, except Kreacher, but he'd be thrilled to have you there. He loves the Black family."

 

"Kreacher? The house-elf? I'd forgotten he was yours," said Draco. "But... Look, it's a very kind offer, and I'd love to be able to accept, but... it would be difficult for me to live anywhere other than the Manor. At the moment, at least. I can understand why you might want to never set foot there again, but... please will you just come and see, before you decide? It'll make more sense when you're there, I promise."

 

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, and Harry shrugged. "OK," he said. "Ron, I'll come to the Burrow later. I suppose I'd better check on Ginny in any case. Oh... Draco, will that be alright? Sorry, it's going to be a while before it sinks in that I can't go anywhere without you."

 

"No need to apologise – I've had an hour longer than you to get used to the idea," said Draco. "Of course we can go to the Burrow. I'm not sure how pleased Ginny will be to see me, though."

 

"Well, she's going to have to get used to it, isn't she?" said Harry. "She's only got herself to blame."

 

"Right, well, in that case I'd probably better go and warn her," said Ron. "Unless you want me to come to the Manor with you?"

 

Harry felt a stab of panic from Draco, and quashed the response he'd been about to give. "Don't worry, we'll be fine," he said instead. Draco's look of relief was intriguing, and Harry hoped that the trip to Malfoy Manor would explain it. The first order of business, though, was to work out how to get off the bed.

 

"How shall we..." he began, but then Draco slid his hand down Harry's arm and took hold of his hand.

 

"Oh," said Harry. "Yes, that's easier. Are you sure you don't mind holding my hand?"

 

"Well, I suspect we'll get some strange looks if anyone sees us, but we'd get those wherever I was touching you, wouldn't we?" said Draco. "It's fine. At least your palms aren't sweaty."

 

Harry grinned and stood up. "Let's hope we can still say that when I'm inside Malfoy Manor," he said. "How do you normally get there? Apparate?"

 

"Normally, yes, but the wards won't let you in until I add you, and I can't do that until I'm there," said Draco. "We can Apparate to the gate, though. But it's a bit of a walk from there."

 

"That's OK, some fresh air would be good," said Harry. "Ready when you are. See you later, Ron."

 

Draco nodded to Ron, who waved them farewell as they vanished.

 

******

 

Half an hour later, Harry and Draco were standing in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor. The walk from the gate had done an excellent job of clearing Harry's head, particularly as neither of them had tried to make conversation; they'd just strolled along hand in hand, in a surprisingly comfortable silence. Harry wondered whether Draco could somehow sense through the bond that he'd needed some peace and quiet, or whether Draco had just guessed. The latter seemed more likely, given that Harry couldn't sense Draco's feelings apart from those two brief surges.

 

"First things first," said Draco. "Hang on, I need to change hands, though. I don't know whether my wand would work as well if I used my left hand. Probably safer not to try." He stood in front of Harry so that he could take hold of Harry's right hand as well as his left, and then let go of Harry's left hand, freeing his own right hand to draw his wand. "Muro accumulo Harry Potter," he said, with a complicated wand gesture. "There, that should do it. Listen, I'll add your friends, too, of course, if you do end up staying here, but... do you mind if we wait until you've decided? You'll see why."

 

"Just as long as you show me soon," said Harry. "I'm dying of curiosity here. Although I'm also dying of starvation. I haven't eaten since breakfast – is there any chance of some food?"

 

Draco looked mortified. "Of course. I'm so sorry," he said. "Woopy!"

 

The elf who'd opened the gates for them reappeared. "Woopy, please could we have the evening meal a bit earlier today? How soon could it be ready? And, what's on the menu?" asked Draco.

 

"We is cooking chicken in mushroom sauce, with pasta, if it pleases Master Draco," said Woopy. "And it can be being ready in five minutes."

 

"Is that alright, Harry?" asked Draco. "Or would you prefer something else?"

 

"No, that sounds great," said Harry.

 

"Excellent," said Draco. "Woopy, please could you serve it in the ballroom? I think we'll probably stay there for a while." Woopy bowed and vanished.

 

"The ballroom? You have a ballroom?" exclaimed Harry. "Mind you, it seems quite fitting for a house that has a twenty-five-minute walk to get from the gate to the front door. The last time I came up that drive I was being dragged, and I was too scared to register how long it took. I would never have guessed it was that long, though."

 

"I'm sorry," said Draco. "For the length of the drive and what happened to you here in the past." He set off along the corridor, and Harry fell into step with him, cursing his own big mouth for wrecking the comfortable atmosphere.

 

"Look, there's no need to apologise," he said. "I've never blamed you for any of the things that happened here. And you did try to help. You knew it was me, didn't you? When they asked you to identify me? I don't think I've ever told you how grateful I was when you said you weren't sure."

 

"Of course I knew it was you," said Draco. "I didn't dare to say that it definitely wasn't, though. The fact that you were with Ron and Hermione was too much of a giveaway. But I thought that if I at least persuaded them there was some doubt then it might buy you some time."

 

"Well, it did," said Harry. "So, thank you again, and let's try not to dwell on it. It's in the past, and it all worked out OK in the end."

 

Draco looked sharply at him, but didn't say anything. Harry decided that it might be wise to change the subject. "So why are we eating in the ballroom, then? Is this a pureblood tradition I haven't previously heard of?"

 

"Not really," said Draco. "But... well, that's where my parents spend most of their time these days. We closed up the drawing room after the war – none of us wanted to go in there ever again – and we did consider creating a new drawing room, but the ballroom has the best view over the grounds of anywhere in the house, so we started having tea in there, and now we use it all the time."

 

"I was going to ask about your parents," said Harry. "I haven't actually heard anything about either of them in ages. How d'you think they'll take the news about this?" He held up his and Draco's clasped hands.

 

"Erm... I'm not entirely sure," said Draco, sounding nervous. "Look, Harry... my parents are... well, not quite the same as the last time you saw them. Just... Well, you'll see. Here we are."

 

Draco opened the huge doors they'd just reached, and they stepped into the ballroom. Harry found himself smiling with delight, because the room was beautiful. It was almost as big as the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but had two rows of pillars running through it. The ceiling was high enough that the room must be two storeys high, and tall bay windows ran along the far wall. A grand piano stood in the far corner of the room, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were sitting nearby, in two armchairs facing one of the bay windows. Neither of them reacted, however, when Draco and Harry entered the room.

 

Draco glanced at Harry, and Harry squeezed his hand. "Don't worry," he said quietly. "I'll leave the talking to you."

 

Draco looked at him gratefully, and they crossed the floor. As they reached the piano, several house-elves appeared, carrying cutlery, plates of food and glasses of what looked like wine and water. Draco nodded to them, and they set their burdens upon a nearby table and vanished.

 

Lucius and Narcissa still didn't turn away from the windows.

 

"Mother, Father," said Draco. "How are you this evening?"

 

There was no reaction.

 

Draco led Harry right up to the window, so that they could face Lucius and Narcissa. There was still no reaction, however, until Draco reached out and waved his hand in front of his mother's face. She looked confused for a moment, and then smiled.

 

"Draco!" she said. "Where have you been? Dinner will be ready soon. You mustn't let it go to waste. You know we're not as wealthy as we once were."

 

"Dinner's here now, Mother," said Draco, sounding on the verge of tears, to Harry's bemusement. "Please will you come to the table?"

 

Narcissa inclined her head and stood up, with some difficulty. Harry wondered for a second why Draco wasn't helping her, but then he remembered about the touching, and felt guilty. He moved slightly so as to avoid being in Narcissa's way, and she seemed to notice him for the first time.

 

"And who is your friend, Draco? Have we met before?"

 

"This is Harry Potter, Mother. You have met him before, but it was a long time ago," said Draco. Harry raised his eyebrows but said nothing, remembering his promise.

 

"You must forgive me, Mr Potter," said Narcissa. "My memory is not what it used to be. Welcome to our home, though. Draco is an excellent host; do be sure to ask him if you need anything."

 

"Thank you, Mrs Malfoy," said Harry, feeling that it would be rude not to respond. "Draco is looking after me very well."

 

Narcissa had reached the table by this stage, and she nodded approvingly as she settled herself in her chair. "You'd better wake your father, Draco," she said.

 

Lucius did indeed appear to have slept through all this, but he was soon roused and seated at the dinner table. He, too, appeared not to recognise Harry, but was very cordial when introduced.

 

The four of them were soon tucking into their meals. Harry had briefly worried about eating one-handed, but Draco solved this by positioning their chairs so that their legs were pressed together, freeing their hands. Harry tried to eat in a dignified manner, which he was all too aware was not his usual practice. He couldn't help sneaking glances at Lucius and Narcissa, though.

 

They didn't actually look much different from the last time Harry had seen them, three years earlier. They were both maybe slightly skinnier, but they had both been quite slim to start with, so it was hard to be sure whether there was any difference. The only thing that definitely had changed was the looks on their faces. Lucius's lip was no longer constantly curled, and Narcissa's perpetual slightly worried expression had also gone. Instead, they both looked... well, happy, Harry decided.

 

There was no conversation during the meal; when all the plates were empty and the house-elves had been summoned to clear the table, though, Lucius and Narcissa both looked at Draco expectantly. He smiled. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, to Harry's surprise.

 

Draco's parents both beamed and stood up. They walked onto the dance floor hand in hand, where they positioned themselves in a ballroom hold and stood waiting.

 

Draco took a deep breath. "Just don't tell anyone about this, please, Harry," he said. "And please don't laugh."

 

Harry looked at him, intrigued, and Draco led him over to the piano, where he opened the stool and rummaged through a pile of music books that were inside, before choosing one and opening it.

 

"There's probably room for you next to me on here," said Draco, closing the piano stool and sitting down, "but would you mind standing up for the moment? Maybe with your hand on my shoulder? It'd be easier to play that way."

 

Harry grinned and followed this instruction, eager to see what Draco was going to play. The title of the song on the music stand sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember how it went. When Draco started to play the intro, his long fingers moving confidently over the keys, Harry still didn't recognise the song, but then Draco unexpectedly started to sing.

 

_There may be trouble ahead;_

_but, while there's moonlight and music and love and romance,_

_let's face the music and dance._

_Before the fiddlers have fled,_

_before they ask us to pay the bill, and while we still have that chance,_

_let's face the music and dance._

_Soon, we'll be without the moon,_

_humming a different tune – and then..._

_There may be teardrops to shed;_

_so, while there's moonlight and music and love and romance,_

_let's face the music and dance..._

_let's face the music and dance._

 

As the final chords sounded, Harry found that he had a tear in his eye, and he wasn't sure why. He'd spent part of the song watching Lucius and Narcissa doing their foxtrot (actually, he had no idea whether or not it was a foxtrot, but it definitely wasn't a waltz, and he'd heard of a ballroom dance called a foxtrot), but mainly he'd watched Draco. Draco had a slight blush on his face, but if he was embarrassed then it didn't show in his voice, which was a lovely rich baritone.

 

Harry had noticed the words, though. "You picked that one specially, didn't you?" he whispered. "Very apt."

 

Draco smiled. "Well, it is one of their favourites to dance to, but... yes, it did occur to me that it might be quite fitting tonight," he admitted. "I just need to do one more, if that's OK, and then they'll be tired enough to go up to bed."

 

"Do as many as you like," said Harry. "That was really good. I could listen to you sing all night."

 

"That's very nice of you to say so," said Draco. "Even if you are just being polite."

 

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Draco just grinned and turned to a different page in the book. "This is one of my favourites," he said, as he launched into the song.

 

_No one to talk with, all by myself._

_No one to walk with, but I'm happy on the shelf._

_Ain't misbehaving, I'm saving my love for you._

_I know for certain the one you love._

_I'm through with flirting, it's just you I'm thinking of._

_Ain't misbehaving, I'm saving my love for you._

_Like Jack Horner in the corner,_

_don't go nowhere, what do I care?_

_Your kisses are worth waiting for, believe me._

_I don't stay out late, don't care to go._

_I'm home about eight, just me and my radio._

_Ain't misbehaving, I'm saving my love for you._

 

"Interesting," said Harry, as Lucius swept Narcissa into a final dip. "I could tell you liked that one better. You smiled all the way through, and it made your voice sound different. Better. Although it did sound brilliant in the last song too."

 

Draco beamed. "Thank you," he said. "I don't think anyone's actually ever heard me sing before, other than my parents. It's something I love to do, though, so it's good to know I'm not totally terrible at it."

 

"Draco, we're going up to bed now," called Lucius. "We will see you in the morning. Is your friend staying the night?"

 

Draco looked at Harry, who shrugged and nodded. Again he felt the rush of relief from Draco deep inside his chest. "Yes, he is," called Draco. "Goodnight, Father. Goodnight, Mother."

 

"Goodnight, both of you," said Narcissa, as they left the ballroom.

 

Draco got up from the piano stool and led Harry over to the armchairs by the window, where they both sat down. The sun had set long ago, but the gardens were illuminated by the gibbous moon, and it was a clear night, with many stars studded across the sky.

 

"Would you like a drink?" asked Draco after a minute.

 

"Sounds good," said Harry. "What's your usual?"

 

"I don't actually drink very often," said Draco. "A glass of wine with dinner if I'm eating with my parents, but that's mainly because they expect it. I don't have wine if I'm on my own. Apart from that, I just have the occasional Firewhiskey. But right now I have a craving for a Butterbeer, and I don't think I've had one of those since I was at school. Odd."

 

"Not all that odd," said Harry. "Because I was just thinking I felt like a hot glass of Butterbeer, before you asked. So it's probably the bond that's making you want one too. Sorry about that."

 

"No, it's fine," said Draco. He called Woopy, and a few minutes later they were both sipping their drinks.

 

"Actually, I meant to ask you about that," said Harry. "You were in the pub today. I don't think I've ever seen you in the pub before. What changed your mind?"

 

Draco didn't answer immediately, and Harry looked at him. Draco's face looked haunted, and all of a sudden he appeared to be twenty years older than he actually was. "I just couldn't face going home," he said eventually. "Not straight away, at least. I just wanted to sit surrounded by people for a while, before I had to come back to... well, this."

 

"But... why?" asked Harry, baffled. "It doesn't seem too bad. I'll admit I wasn't looking forward to coming here, but that was only because of the war. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go into the drawing room or the dungeons, of course, but you've already told me they've been closed off. And your parents seem... well, not like they used to be, but better than I expected them to be."

 

Draco laughed hollowly. "They're better than I expected them to be, tonight," he said. "But they're not often like that. Most of the time they don't even recognise me, and it's a struggle to get them to do anything. I'm just so tired."

 

"But what's actually happened to them? If you don't mind me asking," said Harry. "I'd say it looked a bit like Alzheimer's, but they can't be old enough, can they?"

 

"Mother is 46 and Father is 47," said Draco. "But it is Alzheimer's. More or less, anyway. There's a version of it called early-onset Alzheimer's. But the chances of them both getting that naturally are tiny, so I think it must have been at least partially caused by either spell damage or a curse."

 

"You think? You mean they haven't seen a Healer? How long have they been like this?"

 

"It's only been really bad for the last six months or so," said Draco. "The symptoms have been there ever since the war, but at first I only noticed them very occasionally. Gradually the good periods have become shorter and the bad periods have become longer, though, and now even in the good periods they don't seem to know much about what's going on. I did try to get them to St Mungo's a few months ago, but they both got in such a state that I didn't want to force them. So I went there and tried to persuade a Healer to come here, but none of them would agree."

 

"Why not?" demanded Harry, outraged.

 

Draco smiled sadly. "Do you really need me to answer that question? People don't tend to want to help a Malfoy. We didn't exactly cover ourselves in glory in the war, did we?"

 

"Oh, for goodness' sake," said Harry. "The war is over. I wish people would remember that. Anyway, why didn't you ask anyone else for support? Someone at work? Why didn't you ask me?"

 

Draco looked away. "I was too embarrassed," he mumbled. "And there wasn't really anyone there that I knew well enough to feel comfortable asking. So I did a lot of reading instead, and formed my own diagnosis. All the symptoms fit early-onset Alzheimer's, and if it is that then there's no cure, magical or otherwise. Patients just get worse and worse until they die, usually within ten years."

 

Harry stared at him, aghast. "Draco, that's awful. I'm so sorry," he said. "And I'm even sorrier that you didn't feel you could approach me. You know I would've helped, right? And I will help, now I know about it. We'll go to St Mungo's tomorrow, and we won't leave until a Healer agrees to come back with us. May as well use my name for something good."

 

"Thank you," said Draco. "I... I think I did know you would help if I asked you, even before today, but knowing that and being brave enough to ask are not the same thing. The problem is that I've convinced myself there's no hope, so even if I had asked someone for help the end result would be the same. That being the case, it was easier to just not ask."

 

"Well, you're very wrong about one thing, at least," said Harry. "The end result will not be the same. Maybe it will for your parents – although I'm not going to accept that until the Healer's seen them – but they're not the only ones involved. What about you? It will make a difference to your quality of life if you get some help. I feel terrible that you've been carrying this burden all on your own, and no-one at work had any idea. Wait, does Chris know?"

 

"No," said Draco. "He's a good man, as I said, and he hasn't given me a hard time, but he's also not really shown any interest in my life outside work. To be fair, I think he's like that with everyone, though – he's just a bit self-centred."

 

"Hmm, I know what you mean," said Harry. "But what about your other friends? I know you keep yourself to yourself at work, although now I'm kicking myself for not making more of an effort to talk to you. But what about outside work? What happened to wotsername... Pansy? And your other friends from school?"

 

"Pansy's always going to be remembered as the girl who tried to hand you over to the Dark Lord," said Draco. "She got sick of all the Howlers, and being spat at in the street. She went to stay with her aunt in America a few months after the war, and never came back. And the others all gradually left the country too."

 

Harry could feel Draco's bone-deep sadness, and wished desperately that there was something he could do to make it go away. "So you've got no friends?" he clarified. "For the past three years, you've been going to work every day and then coming home to look after your parents, with no support? And that's been the whole of your everyday life all that time, and you haven't even talked to anyone about any of it?"

 

"Harry, please don't cry," said Draco, and Harry was startled to find that tears were indeed rolling down his cheeks. "I've already caused you enough problems today. I don't want to depress you as well. Anyway, it's not as bad as it sounds, really. I'm used to it. The last few days have just been harder than usual, and that's why I was in the pub."

 

Harry stood up and pulled Draco to his feet, so that he could enfold him in a tight hug. They stood there for several minutes, and Harry realised that Draco was crying too.

 

"Thank you, Harry," said Draco, when they stepped apart after quite some time. "I really needed that. I can't remember the last time I was hugged."

 

"I'm a big fan of hugging," Harry told him. "I think I'll have to hug you as often as I can. By the way, am I right in assuming that the reason you didn't say anything to your parents about the bond is that they wouldn't really have understood what you were talking about?"

 

"Unfortunately, yes," said Draco. "And I hope it makes sense now – why I really need to stay here rather than at your house. I can't leave them. But if you'd be too uncomfortable here, I'll try and think of something."

 

"No, no, it's fine," said Harry. "I completely understand. I don't mind living here. I'd better go and get some of my stuff and explain to Kreacher, though. I don't want to just abandon him. And then I'd better pop in to the Burrow, just for a few minutes. Ron will worry if I don't. ... Sorry, I've done it again, haven't I? I meant we'd better. Do you mind?"

 

"Not at all," said Draco. "Listen, d'you want to bring Kreacher here? Or would he prefer to stay at Grimmauld Place? Oh, and I'll add Ron and Hermione to the wards. Anyone else?"

 

"No, they're the only ones I have on the wards at Grimmauld. Thanks. And I'm not actually sure which Kreacher would prefer – he's a funny bugger – but I'll ask him."

 

"Wait, Ron and Hermione are the only ones? You haven't added Ginny?"

 

"Erm, no," admitted Harry. "It's been a bit of a sore point with her, actually. And she doesn't know that I have added Ron and Hermione. I've told her I just feel more secure there if I know people can't just come and go as they please, which is true. And Ron and Hermione understand that, and they don't often turn up without asking first – I just added them to the wards in case of emergency."

 

"I see," said Draco. "Well, that's just as well, because I didn't really feel comfortable giving her full access, after seeing how she behaves, but I would have, if you'd asked."

 

"I appreciate that," said Harry. "To be quite honest, though, I do actually feel a bit relieved that it's over between me and her, now I've got used to the idea. She deserves someone who really wants to be with her, and Ron's right – that hasn't been me for quite a while. I just couldn't bear to admit it – to myself or to her."

 

"You deserve that too, you know," said Draco. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me instead."

 

"Oh, stop it," said Harry. "I admit I'm still a bit freaked out by the whole thing, but that doesn't mean you should keep apologising. Who knows? Maybe we'll turn out to be a perfect match!"

 

Draco laughed. "Well, I doubt you'll get anyone to agree with you on that one," he said. "But I promise you I'll try my best to make this work... for both of us."

 

"And so will I," said Harry. "You have my word. Now, I know there are still all sorts of things we need to discuss, but is it OK with you if we discuss them tomorrow? I'm already having trouble staying awake, and we still need to go out on our visits before we can sleep."

 

"Of course," said Draco. "We'd better get a move on, then."

 

He started towards the door, but Harry stopped him. "Please will you do one thing first, though? For me?"

 

"If I can," said Draco. "What do you need?"

 

Harry smiled. "Well, I'd love it if you'd sing one more song before we go."

 

Draco raised his eyebrows, but smiled and led Harry over to the piano. "Let's see," he said, flicking through the pile of music books. "Hmm.... This one seems quite appropriate."

 

_You do something to me – something that simply mystifies me._

_Tell me, why should it be you have the power to hypnotise me?_

_Let me live 'neath your spell._

_Do do that voodoo that you do so well._

_For you do something to me that nobody else could do._

 

Harry found himself blushing intensely as the song ended. "Do I?" he asked. "Or was it just a song?"

 

Draco grinned. "Any song is just a song if you don't think about anything in particular while you're singing it," he said. "Songs only get meaningful – and sound better – when you have an audience in mind, even if the audience is imaginary. But in this case... yes, the words could definitely apply to you. Now stop fishing for compliments and take me to meet your house-elf."

 

******

 

An hour later, Harry and Draco Apparated from Grimmauld Place to the Burrow. They had no luggage with them: Kreacher had been delighted at the thought of moving to the Manor and living with 'Master Draco and Mistress Narcissa', but had been horrified at the thought of Harry transporting any of his own belongings there. He'd promised to have everything put away in Draco's suite at the Manor by the time Harry got back there.

 

They stood outside the front door, but Harry didn't knock immediately, and Draco looked at him. "It'll be OK," he said. "She's bound to be upset, but it's not your fault, remember?"

 

"I know," said Harry. "I just have a nasty feeling she might take it out on you, and I don't want that to happen."

 

Draco smiled. "Whatever she says, I've almost certainly heard worse," he said. "But we can leave whenever you like. You can Apparate directly into the Manor now – if she winds you up, you don't need to warn me, just take us there."

 

"Deal," said Harry, and knocked on the door.

 

It was answered by Molly, who stepped forward to hug Harry as soon as she saw him, but then remembered and stopped herself. "Come in, boys," she said. "How are you feeling? Both of you?"

 

Draco looked a bit startled at this inclusion, and Harry smiled gratefully at Molly. "We're fine, thank you," he told her. "Just tired. But I promised I'd come and update Ron."

 

"Come on through," said Molly. "Everyone's in the kitchen. But, Harry, before we go in... I'm sorry for what my daughter tried to do. She just wasn't thinking clearly. She never meant to hurt you. Having said that, I think it's probably a good thing that this happened – well, apart from the fact that you're now unintentionally bonded – because you were never going to break up with her, were you? And it was obvious to everyone except you and Ginny that it wasn't working any more."

 

Harry gaped at her for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. "I do love her, though," he said. "Just maybe not quite as much as she deserves."

 

Molly smiled sadly at him and led the way to the kitchen. 'Everyone' turned out to be Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Arthur; Harry was relieved to see that Ginny appeared quite calm, and she even gave him a little smile.

 

"Harry! How are you feeling?" asked Hermione. "And you, Draco? This must be very weird for you both. It's weird for me, and all I'm doing is sitting on my hands to remind myself not to touch you."

 

"It is very weird, but that's the story of my life, isn't it?" said Harry, laughing as he realised this. "It's been OK so far, actually. No doubt we have all sorts of problems yet to come, but the first few hours of this bond have been... encouraging. We actually just came to tell you that we'll be living at Malfoy Manor for the time being; Kreacher's moving my stuff across from Grimmauld Place as we speak."

 

"You're all more than welcome to visit any time, of course," added Draco. "Just let us know when, so we can open the wards for you."

 

"Harry, can I speak to you alone for a minute, please?" asked Ginny.

 

Everyone stared at her in amazement. "Well, no, of course you can't," said Harry, after a pause in which he realised she actually wasn't joking. "What part of 'bonded to Draco' didn't you understand?"

 

Ginny's face reddened. "Sorry," she said. "I forgot about that part of it for a moment. And here's me thinking I couldn't possibly do any more stupid things today. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that this has happened. I know you'll be with Draco all the time for the foreseeable future, but maybe after the bond has settled you and I can spend some time together?"

 

Harry felt Draco's flash of anger, although his facial expression didn't alter. "Of course," said Harry. "But only as friends, Ginny, just to be clear. I'm sorry, but whatever happens between me and Draco I can't be with you again. I've known for a while that I'm not the best partner for you, but I just didn't want to upset you so I didn't say anything. You'll be much happier with someone else."

 

Ginny's mouth dropped open. "But..."

 

"Leave the poor bloke alone, Ginny," said Arthur gently. "You've done enough to him for one day. We've all told you it's over, and now Harry has very clearly told you the same thing. The least you can do is spare him the rant we got when Ron told you Harry would never agree to get back with you."

 

Ginny glared at them all and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. "Sorry about that," said Arthur. "She does know how to behave usually, Draco, I assure you. I hope this hasn't put you and Harry off coming here."

 

"Not at all," said Draco. "I'm well aware that you're Harry's family. I suspect it would take a lot more than an awkward scene with an ex-girlfriend to keep him away, and I wouldn't dream of discouraging him from anything that was important to him."

 

Molly beamed at him. "Well, that's a lovely thing to say," she said. "I look forward to getting to know you. I know there's been bad blood between our families in the past, but I'd like to think we've all moved on from that. Ron's told me on several occasions how impressed he's been with you at work."

 

Harry and Draco looked at Ron, surprised; Ron shrugged. "Hey, if the cap fits," he said. "At first I was mainly impressed because you were such a total git at school, so I was surprised when you just behaved like everyone else and didn't react when people tried to wind you up. But gradually I realised you were actually a really good Auror. Definitely better than me, I have to admit. I think that, with you two being partners now, the criminals had better watch out."

 

"Don't say that, Ron," protested Harry, while Draco blushed and made an embarrassed noise. "Well, I mean, it's nice of you to say that about Draco, and I agree with all of it, but don't think you're not a great Auror, because I think you're brilliant. Anyway, could we borrow you for a few minutes? You too, Hermione? Well, half an hour at the most. I just need to show you something at the Manor."

 

"Of course," said Ron, and Hermione nodded and got up, looking nervous but resolute. After bidding farewell to Arthur and Molly, the four of them Apparated to Malfoy Manor. This proved a bit tricky, as Harry and Draco each had to Side-Along one of the others, and that involved touching; after a quick conference, though, they decided that they could both cope with a couple of seconds of pain if it meant getting to sleep earlier. Neither of them felt like walking all the way up the drive for the second time that day.

 

"Hermione, I know it must be particularly difficult for you to come here," said Draco when they were all standing in the entrance hall. "I'm very grateful that you agreed to do so. I apologise for what happened last time you were here. Rest assured that the parts of the house that were used during the war are now closed off, so you won't need to see those rooms again."

 

"It's OK, really," said Hermione. "I admit I was a bit worried at the thought of being here again, but now I'm here I'm fine. Thank you for thinking of me, though."

 

Harry smiled fondly at both of them. "Listen, we won't keep you long, but I just wanted to explain the situation, and I don't really want anyone else to know just yet, if possible," he said. "Draco's added you to the wards, so you can Apparate here any time you need to. But you need to understand why we're staying here and not at Grimmauld." He went on to tell them about Lucius and Narcissa's current condition, and their prognosis. He decided to omit, for the moment, the part about them not having been seen by a Healer yet, though; that would have involved explaining why, and he didn't want to embarrass Draco.

 

Ron looked thoughtful. "It seems all wrong for that to happen to Lucius Malfoy. I never liked the guy, but I wouldn't wish this on him," he said. "And your mum always seemed like a nice enough lady. And of course she saved Harry's life, didn't she? I'm sorry, Draco. Let us know if there's anything we can do."

 

"I'm sure you've looked into ways of managing their symptoms, Draco, so I won't insult you by offering to do that," said Hermione. "Have you found anything that works?"

 

"Sticking to a regular routine seems to help a bit," said Draco. "The only other thing that seems to make any difference is music. I sing to them, and they usually dance when I do. It's quite encouraging, actually – even on days when they don't know my name, they still get on the dancefloor without prompting."

 

"He's really good," said Harry, smiling at Draco. "He's a brilliant pianist, and he's got a lovely voice. Draco, I meant to ask you about those songbooks you have. They're all a particular type of song, aren't they? But is there a name for that type of song... other than 'old'?"

 

"They're usually just called 'standards'," said Draco. "Strictly the full term is 'jazz standards'. They're songs that any jazz musician would be expected to know. Lots of them are showtunes, but really any song can end up being known as a standard. The only factor common to all of them is longevity."

 

"I'd heard of songs being called 'standards', but I never knew what that meant," said Hermione. "So are those the only ones your parents like?"

 

"I don't know, to be perfectly honest," said Draco. "They may well like other songs, but I've only ever tried standards with them. And standards do usually work well for ballroom dancing, anyway."

 

"But what made you think of standards in the first place?" wondered Harry.

 

"I had piano lessons before I started at Hogwarts, and one of the books I used to play from was a book of standards," Draco explained. "I didn't really play again until after the war, and that book was still in the piano stool, and I remembered how much I'd enjoyed playing from it. Since then I've acquired quite a few more books. I reckon I've got enough songs in my repertoire that I could play all day without repeating myself."

 

"Sing us a song now, then," said Ron. "Please?"

 

Draco looked uncertain, but Harry squeezed his hand. "Draco, I promised not to tell anyone about your musical talents, but since you brought it up yourself... please let them see how brilliant you are!"

 

"Oh, go on then," said Draco. "But only if you promise to tell me if you think it's rubbish. "Come on."

 

He led the way to the ballroom, and was shortly seated at the piano, with Harry again standing behind him and Hermione and Ron on either side.

 

"This is one of my favourites, although it's a bit sad," said Draco, and launched into an impressive piano intro that involved continuous arpeggios and crossing over of hands. Then he started to sing.

 

_If I loved you, time and again I would try to say_

_all I’d want you to know._

_If I loved you, words wouldn’t come in an easy way._

_Round in circles I’d go!_

_Longing to tell you, but afraid and shy,_

_I’d let my golden chances pass me by!_

_Soon you’d leave me._

_Off you would go in the mist of day,_

_Never, never to know how I loved you..._

_if I loved you!_

 

Harry noticed that both Hermione and Ron were totally absorbed by Draco's performance – he was fairly sure he even saw a tear in Ron's eye – but he was again very aware of the lyrics. Was there a chance Draco had been thinking of him when he sang them? Given what Draco had said earlier about mental audiences for songs, it seemed at least possible.

 

Bearing this in mind, Harry smiled at Draco, and was interested to note that Draco blushed and looked away.

 

"That was brilliant, mate," said Ron. "I thought Harry was probably just being polite, but you're really good."

 

"Yes. More people should hear you," said Hermione. "Have you ever thought of performing in public?"

 

"No, of course not," said Draco, sounding a bit panicked. "The number of people who've heard me sing has already more than doubled this evening. Singing to strangers would take quite a lot more confidence than I currently have."

 

"Well, if you ever change your mind, let us know and we'll come and cheer you on," said Ron. "But we'd better let you get some rest now. I know you said you were tired, and that was ages ago."

 

"I definitely need to sleep," said Harry. "Thanks for coming. See you at work on Monday?"

 

"Goodnight, both of you, and thanks for your support," said Draco.

 

Ron nodded, and he and Hermione Disapparated.

 

"OK, I suspect this is where things might get awkward," said Draco. "But I think we've done pretty well so far, don't you? So I'm sure we can get over it."

 

There wasn't much point in Harry pretending he didn't know what Draco was talking about; he'd been thinking about it for the past hour. "It'll be fine," he said. "I'm much too tired to get stressed about getting into bed with you. And yes, I'm getting the hang of all this, and I had realised we would have to share a bed. Lead the way."

 

Draco smiled and got up from the piano stool, taking Harry's hand as they set off across the room. "We do have enough rooms that you can have your own once the bond has settled, if you prefer, and if of course you choose to stay here," he said. "But my bed is very comfortable, and you're welcome to sleep in it for as long as you like."

 

"Have you ever..." started Harry.

 

"Shared it with anyone else?" finished Draco. "No. I'm... well, not very experienced, shall we say. I haven't been with anyone since school, and there were only a couple of people even then."

 

"Well, I've only actually slept with Ginny," said Harry. "And I'd only even kissed one other person before I was with her. So we're probably fairly even."

 

"Huh, I always vaguely assumed you had loads of girlfriends," said Draco. "So who was the one you kissed?"

 

"Cho Chang," said Harry.

 

"Oh, the Ravenclaw Seeker? She doesn't really seem like your type."

 

"She wasn't, really, as it turned out. But you know how it is when you're a teenager and you fancy someone for the first time, and you can't think of anything other than what they look like."

 

Draco hummed in agreement, as they reached the top of the stairs and he led Harry into the first room along the landing. It was the biggest bedroom Harry had ever seen – in fact, if it hadn't been for the bed in the middle of the far wall, he would have assumed it was another ballroom.

 

He said this to Draco, who laughed. "Yes, it's too big, really," he said. "It gets quite cold in the winter, so I have to have the fire lit all the time, and rugs all over the place. But it's been my room my whole life, so it'd be weird to change now. Do you want the fire lit now, or are you warm enough?"

 

"I'm a bit too warm, if anything," said Harry. "Is it OK if I open a window? Or will that stop you sleeping?"

 

"Go ahead," said Draco. "Listen, I... well, I normally sleep naked, but you'd probably feel better if I put some pyjamas on, wouldn't you?"

 

Harry's cock, which he'd been interested to note had been half-hard ever since Draco had mentioned going to bed, suddenly became more interested in proceedings, which made Harry's answer to this question a lot more difficult to decide upon.

 

"Erm... I was about to ask you the same thing," he admitted, throwing caution to the wind and going with his gut feeling. "I sleep naked too. I don't actually own any pyjamas. I'm... I think I'd be OK if we were both naked? I mean, if you're OK with that? It's fine either way."

 

They looked at each other nervously, and then Draco grinned. "Oh, what the hell," he said. "We're going to have to shower and use the toilet together anyway, aren't we? May as well get used to each other's bodies."

 

"I hadn't even thought about the bathroom," admitted Harry. "Do you need to go before we sleep?"

 

"No, I don't think so," said Draco. "Do you? And are you one of those people who wakes up in the middle of the night for a piss?"

 

"Nah," said Harry. "Once I'm asleep I'm out like a light till morning. And I don't think I need one now either. Let's get some sleep."

 

Getting undressed was, unsurprisingly, a bit of a struggle while they were holding hands, but they managed eventually. Harry tried not to stare at Draco's cock, but he couldn't help noticing that it was as hard as his own.

 

"I was going to apologise for that, but I see yours is as unhelpful as mine," said Draco, spotting Harry's gaze. "The human body, eh?"

 

Harry blushed. "Which side of the bed do you sleep on?" he asked, deciding that was a safer topic.

 

"Well, in the middle," said Draco. "I told you, I've never shared it with anyone before. And it's not as if we can sleep separately anyway. The more important question is: do you want to be the big spoon or the little spoon?"

 

"Big spoon, definitely," said Harry, smiling as he remembered what had happened earlier. "Tonight, at least. I told you I was going to hug you as often as possible, and this is a good way to start."

 

Draco looked pleased. "I'd like that," he said. "Come on, then." He pulled the duvet back and climbed into the bed, closely followed by Harry. They rearranged themselves until Harry's arms were wrapped around Draco, and Draco pulled the duvet over both of them.

 

Harry was all too aware that his very erect cock was now nestled along Draco's arse crack, but Draco didn't comment on this, so neither did Harry. "You never told me who yours was," he suddenly remembered. "You know the whole history of my love life, and I have no idea about yours!"

 

"I kissed lots of people at school, but only really at parties – I wasn't going out with any of them," said Draco. "But I only slept with two. Both in sixth year, and both were drunken one-offs. The first was Pansy. The second was Blaise."

 

Harry's cock twitched again at this, and Draco wriggled slightly against it, although Harry wasn't sure whether or not he did this consciously. "So you are... "

 

"Bisexual, yes," said Draco. "At least, I suppose so. I haven't actually fancied that many people, but the ones I have fancied have been both sexes."

 

"I've never thought of it that way before," said Harry. "I mean, Cho was the first person I ever fancied, and then it was Ginny for years, although I realise now that that did fade a bit. But, because I was with Ginny, I didn't really ever think about whether or not I found anyone else attractive."

 

"That makes sense," said Draco. "Look, don't worry. I'm well aware that just because you've got an erection it doesn't mean you fancy me."

 

"Well, ditto," said Harry. "But what I'm trying to say is: I don't not fancy you. It's just too soon for me to get my head round all this. But... I appreciated the fact that you didn't let Ron force us into a discussion about sex before, and that you said we wouldn't have to do anything. I'm... I just need some time. But I'm not ruling it out in the future. Which, if I had been forced to discuss it when we were at the Leaky, I don't think I would have said. So... I'm babbling now. I'll shut up."

 

Even though Draco was facing away from him, Harry could feel him smile. "Don't worry about it," said Draco. "Whatever will be will be."

 

"I know that one!" said Harry, delighted. "Although mainly as a football song. Que sera sera, whatever will be will be, we're going to Wembley, que sera sera. I don't know the proper words – is it a standard?"

 

Draco was shaking with laughter. "I hadn't heard that version," he said. "Do they really sing it at football matches? The actual words are almost the same – they just have 'the future's not ours to see' instead of the Wembley bit. I suppose you could call it a standard. It's not in any of my books, though. I'll have to get more books."

 

"You can sing lots of them without the books, though, can't you, I bet?" said Harry. "Sing me one now. Please?"

 

Draco considered this for a moment. "Well, there is one song that's been stuck in my head for the last few hours," he admitted. "Some of the words are very appropriate. Some more than others, though, so don't take it too literally."

 

_Tonight, tonight, it all began tonight; I saw you and the world went away._

_Tonight, tonight, there's only you tonight: what you are, what you do, what you say._

_Today, all day I had the feeling a miracle would happen; I know now I was right._

_For here you are, and what was just a world is a star tonight._

_Tonight, tonight, the world is full of light, with suns and moons all over the place._

_Tonight, tonight, the world is wild and bright, going mad, shooting sparks into space._

_Today the world was just an address; a place for me to live in, no better than alright._

_But here you are, and what was just a world is a star tonight._

 

"I'm not sure I deserve any of those words, but it's true that the world feels like a different place tonight," said Harry. "Good choice. Thank you."

 

"I haven't finished yet," said Draco. "There's a coda."

 

_Good night, good night, sleep well – and, when you dream, dream of me... tonight!_

 

"I suspect I will," said Harry. "Goodnight, Draco."

 

******

 

The next morning, Harry was disorientated for a minute before he worked out where he was and remembered what had happened. The fact that his arms were wrapped around a naked Draco was his major clue.

 

"Harry?" said Draco. "I'm glad you're finally awake. Did you sleep well?"

 

"Like a baby," said Harry. "Although babies don't usually sleep well at all, do they, when I think about it? I just realised what a stupid phrase that is. What time is it?"

 

"Nearly eight o'clock," said Draco. "I didn't want to wake you earlier, because I thought you probably needed all the sleep you could get, but I need to make sure Mother and Father eat their breakfast, and we have it at half past eight on Saturdays. Also, I need the toilet."

 

"Sorry," said Harry. "You could have woken me earlier, you know. I wouldn't have minded. But I appreciate you being so thoughtful. Come on then, let's go for a piss."

 

They got the giggles in the bathroom, when they decided that it would be easiest to just both piss at the same time; this soon became a contest, in which they each tried to disrupt the other's stream. The lighthearted mood helped dispel any possible awkwardness when they had to do even more embarrassing things a minute later. They were very short of time by the time they got in the shower, which Harry decided was probably just as well, as he wasn't quite ready to think about the feelings he got when he saw the water running over Draco's glistening body.

 

They got downstairs to find Lucius and Narcissa already sitting at the table, but they hadn't started to eat yet, even though there was food in front of them. They didn't seem to recognise Draco, paying no attention to him even when he tapped them on the shoulder, but when he held a piece of toast out to his mother she took it, and started eating. His father ignored the toast, but accepted a teacup when it was held to his lips.

 

"So is this fairly normal, or do they get worse than this?" asked Harry.

 

"They can be much worse, but not often," said Draco. "As long as I stick to our routine, they're usually like this. They only really get in a state if I'm not there when they expect me to be, or if I try to make them do something different. Sorry for not warning you before I touched them, by the way. I forgot for a moment."

 

"It's OK, I saw you were about to do it, and it was only a very short stab of pain," said Harry. "I've had worse. Anyway, they seem manageable like this, at least. Although it must be nice when you get a bit more response from them, like last night. I can see how tiring it must be to have to be there for them all the time, though."

 

"Actually, it doesn't feel as bad with you here," Draco admitted. "I think it's the feeling of having to keep it all to myself that's exhausted me. You're right, I should have asked for help sooner."

 

"But I understand why you didn't," said Harry. "Anyway, as soon as we've finished breakfast we're going to St Mungo's and bringing a Healer back. Unless there's something you need to do with your parents? I don't want to break their routine."

 

"I usually sing them a song after every meal," said Draco. "But, other than that, no. They just sit and look out of the window. It's depressing, really, but they seem happy enough to be doing that."

 

"OK," said Harry. "Song, then hospital. I presume the next fixed thing in their routine is lunch? What time do they have that?"

 

"One o'clock," said Draco.

 

"So we just need to make sure we're back before then," said Harry. Then a thought struck him. "What happens about lunch while you're at work? You don't come back here every day, do you?"

 

"I do now," said Draco. "I tried getting the house-elves to encourage them to eat, and that worked at first, but now neither of them will eat unless I start them off. I kept getting home and finding them still sitting at the table with untouched plates of food in front of them, and the house-elves were all distraught. It was easier to just start coming home every day. It's not as if there was anyone I was spending lunchtimes with at work, anyway, so it wasn't a big deal."

 

"Well, we'll definitely see if the Healer has any ideas to help with that," said Harry, his heart breaking a little at the thought of how Draco had been living. "But, if not, you still won't be doing it on your own any more. I'll be spending lunchtimes with you, even after the bond's settled and we can spend time apart. I'm not letting you get overwhelmed again."

 

Draco looked as if he was about to cry. "Maybe a different sort of overwhelmed. A good sort," he said. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

 

"It's no trouble," said Harry. "I want to help."

 

Draco smiled at him, as his parents got up from their chairs and walked onto the dancefloor. "And you have. You are," he said. "Anyway, song time. If you've finished eating?"

 

"I might have a bit more in a minute, and I definitely want more coffee, but let's not keep them waiting for their dance," said Harry, leading the way to the piano.

 

"Let's have a fast one – see if they're awake," said Draco.

 

_I got rhythm, I got music,_

_I got my man – who could ask for anything more?_

_I got daisies in green pastures,_

_I got my man – who could ask for anything more?_

_Old Man Trouble, I don't mind him._

_You won't find him round my door._

_I got starlight, I got sweet dreams,_

_I got my man – who could ask for anything more?_

_Who could ask for anything more?_

 

Narcissa and Lucius had great fun with this, breaking into what Harry thought was possibly called a Charleston. They were both breathless and laughing by the end.

 

"I'm starting to notice a theme in all these lyrics," Harry commented, grinning.

 

Draco blushed. "Maybe I'm just trying to be optimistic," he said quietly.

 

"Well, I like it," said Harry. "You should keep it up."

 

"It does look like they want another one," Draco pointed out; his parents were indeed still on the dancefloor looking expectant. "A slow one, I think. This one's supposed to be sung by a woman, really, but I love it. And it's optimistic."

 

_Maybe this time, I'll be lucky; maybe this time he'll stay._

_Maybe this time, for the first time, love won't hurry away._

_He will hold me fast; I'll be home at last._

_Not a loser any more like the last time, and the time before._

_Everybody loves a winner, but nobody loves me._

_Lady Peaceful, Lady Happy: that's what I want to be._

_All the odds are in my favour; something's bound to begin._

_It's gotta happen, happen sometime. Maybe this time I'll win._

 

Harry, who'd been standing behind Draco, reached forward to give him a hug. "Maybe you will," he said into Draco's hair. "Maybe I will. I like this optimism. Let's not rule anything out, shall we?"

 

Draco turned to look at him, and there were tears in his eyes. "I feel like I'm dreaming," he said. "You're being so nice to me, and I'm not sure I deserve it."

 

"Well, you keep singing songs that I'm choosing to believe might be at least partially aimed at me, and I'm not sure I deserve that either," said Harry. "But I do like it. And I've discovered that I like you, and I like being nice to you, and you do deserve it. So it's all good. Now, I'm going to have another sausage sandwich and a coffee, but then shall we go to St Mungo's?"

 

******

 

It turned out that all Harry had to do to get a Healer to come back to the Manor with them was to ask, which both relieved him and annoyed him. He was relieved to find that the Healer in question – a harassed-looking Russian woman – did seem to know what she was doing, though, because she didn't just try to do a physical examination as soon as she arrived; she sat with Narcissa and Lucius and tried to talk to them for a while first, making copious notes. They didn't respond to her (or to Draco or Harry), but at least they didn't seem uncomfortable with her presence, which had been one of Draco's fears.

 

After some discussion with Draco and Harry, the Healer used magical rather than physical means to get blood samples and check measurements such as body temperature, pulse and blood pressure. She explained that the results tended to be slightly less reliable, but the fact that no contact was necessary made up for that. She did briefly hold her patients' hands, but that appeared to make them anxious almost immediately, so she didn't try to touch them any further.

 

It turned out that Draco was almost certainly correct in both his diagnosis and his prognosis, which made Harry feel both proud and sad. The Healer explained that the physical tests she'd done were mainly to rule out any other possibilities, and that a brain scan would be needed to confirm Alzheimer's, but that could only be done at the hospital, and Draco would have to decide whether or not it was worth the upset that would cause. The Healer said that everything she was seeing, and everything Draco had reported, was in keeping with early-onset Alzheimer's, and she agreed that it had probably been caused by a spell or a curse, but that made no difference at this stage. She told them that she'd return when she had the test results, but in the meantime Draco was doing all the right things already.

 

"But that's not enough," protested Harry. "He's exhausted. Isn't there anything that you can suggest to help him with this?"

 

"Unfortunately one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's is the toll it takes on the patient's family," admitted the Healer. "But there are a few options for respite care. I'll bring some leaflets when I come back, but I'm afraid there isn't going to be a miracle solution."

 

"We understand that," said Harry, although his heart sank; he'd been hoping there might be. "But anything you can come up with would be helpful. Thank you."

 

Draco added his thanks, and the Healer bade them both farewell. She paused before Apparating, though. "I'm sorry, Mr Malfoy, that none of us helped you the first time you asked," she said. "I can see that you're not the monster you've been made out to be, but even if you were there'd be no excuse. I'll speak to my manager to see if there's anything we can do to make it up to you. In the meantime, if you need me, my name is Lyudmila, and if you ask for me specifically I'll come as soon as I can."

 

Draco appeared to be lost for words, so Harry squeezed his hand and said to her, "Just do anything you can that will help Draco care for his parents. That's all we ask."

 

Lyudmila nodded and vanished.

 

******

 

That afternoon, they were just finishing lunch when an elf appeared to announce that Hermione was in the entrance hall. Since the post-meal song hadn't yet happened, they asked the elf to bring her to the ballroom.

 

"Good afternoon, Mr & Mrs Malfoy," she said when she arrived, but they didn't respond. She smiled sympathetically at Draco.

 

"I just came to talk to you both about something, but it's not urgent," she said. "Are you about to do another song, though? I'd love to hear it."

 

"It's going to have to be another slow one," said Draco. "We all ate too much just now."

 

_When somebody loves you, it's no good unless he loves you all the way._

_Happy to be near you when you need someone to cheer you all the way._

_Taller than the tallest tree is – that's how it's got to feel._

_Deeper than the deep blue sea is – that's how deep it goes, if it’s real._

_When somebody needs you, it's no good unless he needs you all the way,_

_through the good or lean years and for all the in between years, come what may._

_Who knows where the road will lead us? Only a fool would dare say._

_But, if you'll let me love you, it's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way... all the way._

 

"Draco, that was beautiful," said Hermione, applauding. "And your parents look so good when they dance together. I wish I could dance like them. Or sing like you."

 

"I'm sure you could if you tried," said Draco. "I don't think there's anything you've ever studied that you weren't brilliant at, is there?"

 

"That's sweet of you to say, but I think singing might be an exception to that rule," she said, laughing. "You're very quiet, Harry. Are you alright?"

 

Harry knew perfectly well that she'd seen him wiping a tear away and had been giving him time to compose himself, and he smiled at her gratefully. "Of course," he said. "Draco, that was beautiful. I think it was my favourite one yet. Although I've loved them all."

 

"Well, thank you," said Draco. "Shall we go outside to talk? It's a lovely day, and I really like the Manor gardens in the autumn."

 

Lucius and Narcissa had already installed themselves in their armchairs by the window, so Draco summoned an elf to keep an eye on them, before leading Harry and Hermione out of the front door. The grounds were very pleasant to walk through: although most of the leaves on the trees and the ground were brown, there were enough green ones to make an eye-catching two-tone pattern. There were also all sorts of different flowers of various shades of gold, brown and orange, and they smelled amazing. Harry didn't know what any of them were called, but decided that what he liked best was the combination of all of them, so it didn't really matter.

 

"How are you feeling today?" asked Hermione. "Is the bond still as intense as yesterday?"

 

"Erm... in terms of physical pain if we let go of each other or touch someone, there's not much change, although it's definitely slightly less intense," said Harry. "Would you agree, Draco?"

 

"Yes," said Draco. "But I think our emotional bond is more intense than yesterday."

 

"Well, yes and no," said Harry. "I think we definitely have a deeper connection than we did yesterday. But it doesn't feel to me as if that's part of the bond spell. I think it's just because we've got to know each other so much better."

 

"Hmm, yes, I think maybe you're right," said Draco.

 

"That's good to hear," said Hermione. "Listen, the reason I came over was to tell you... Look, this might sound a bit bad, so please let me finish before you shout at me? I'm not actually sure whether it's good news or bad news."

 

Harry and Draco exchanged a glance and then nodded at her.

 

"The thing is... Ginny asked me to investigate whether or not it was true that the bond couldn't be broken. And I felt uncomfortable, because I'd already started doing some research, but that was partly in case you asked me, and mainly because of my own curiosity. Anyway, I'm fairly confident about my conclusion, but it didn't feel right telling Ginny before I told you."

 

Harry could feel a knot of worry in that part of him that was Draco, and he felt oddly shaken himself. He looked at Hermione enquiringly, suddenly unable to decide what he wanted her answer to be.

 

"The bond can't be broken," said Hermione. "Ron and his parents are right. At least, there are no recorded incidents of a bond ever being broken, and I've also looked into the theory of the actual spell, and I can't see how it's possible to reverse it."

 

Harry was startled to find that he was pleased by this answer, and he could tell that Draco was too. Hermione watched them both, knowingly.

 

"I was expecting that to be bad news, but I'm getting the impression it's not as upsetting as I might have thought, is it?" she said. "I never would have predicted it, but I can actually see you two staying together. Who are you and what have you done with Harry and Draco?"

 

Harry grinned. "Trust me, we're just as surprised as you," he said. "But we haven't really talked about the future. We're only dealing with the present, a bit at a time. It's just been a bit of a shock to find that we're actually really comfortable with each other. It's nice."

 

Hermione beamed. "It is," she agreed. "Anyway, I don't want to take up your whole afternoon. It's a lovely day for a walk in the garden with your partner – you should make the most of it!" And, with that, she winked at them and Apparated.

 

"She's always been very wise, hasn't she?" commented Draco. "And she's almost always right. I suggest we take her advice."

 

Harry smiled at him and linked their arms together, and they strolled through the trees at a leisurely pace. "I bet you've got a song stuck in your head, haven't you? You usually seem to," said Harry. "Will you sing it to me?"

 

"It'll make your head swell," warned Draco, looking embarrassed, but he started singing softly anyway.

 

_I've got you under my skin; I've got you deep in the heart of me._

_So deep in my heart you're really a part of me; I've got you under my skin._

_I tried so not to give in. I said to myself: this affair never will go so well._

_But why should I try to resist, when, darling, I know so well I've got you under my skin?_

_I'd sacrifice anything, come what might, for the sake of having you near,_

_in spite of a warning voice that comes in the night and repeats and repeats in my ear:_

_Don't you know, little fool, you never can win? Use your mentality; wake up to reality!_

_But each time I do, just the thought of you makes me stop before I begin,_

_'cause I've got you under my skin._

 

As Draco stopped singing, Harry stopped and gazed at him for a moment, and suddenly it seemed like the most important thing in the world to kiss him immediately, so he did.

 

Initially Draco seemed frozen with surprise, and his lips felt unyielding; gradually, though, he relaxed, and put both arms around Harry, pulling him closer as if to access as much of him as possible. Harry felt light-headed: this was unlike any kiss he'd ever had before, and he was loving it.

 

It did have one thing in common with Harry's first ever kiss, though, which was that Draco was crying. Harry pulled away slightly when he realised this, and looked at Draco, worried.

 

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to upset you. I don't know what made me do that. I won't do it again."

 

Draco looked up at him with watery eyes. "You'd better do it again," he said, smiling raggedly. "Because I'd been thinking about it for quite a while, but I would never have been brave enough to actually try it. Turns out that being with a bona fide hero has unexpected benefits."

 

"I'm not that brave," protested Harry. "But... had you really been thinking about it? I... With me? All those songs, you know... I was thinking you might be interested in me, but I couldn't really believe it."

 

"I wasn't sure whether you'd notice, but I figured that if you didn't, or if you did but took it badly, I could explain them all away as 'just songs'," admitted Draco. "But you reacted... well, as I'd hoped you would, actually. Thank you, Cole Porter."

 

"I've heard of him," said Harry. "He's a songwriter, isn't he? Which one did he write?"

 

"Two of them, actually. Huh," said Draco. "The one I was thinking of was 'You do something to me', which was the first one which I specifically sang about you. But he also wrote 'I've got you under my skin', which is the one that made you kiss me. So it's a double thank you to Cole Porter."

 

"I'm pretty sure he's not still alive, is he?" murmured Harry, bringing his lips to Draco's again. "So I'll have to thank him via you, if that's OK." He kissed Draco again, this time a lot more slowly and tenderly; Draco surprised him by not only responding immediately but also tentatively exploring Harry's mouth with his tongue.

 

"I think you've transferred some of your bravery to me," said Draco a few minutes later. "There's another Cole Porter song that I think I'm going to sing to you now. Before I lose my nerve."

 

Harry grinned at him, taking in Draco's flushed face, unusually untidy hair and excessively red lips. "Go for it," he said. "What's the worst that can happen?"

 

_Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it._

_Let's do it – let's fall in love._

_In Spain, the best upper sets do it. Lithuanians and Letts do it._

_Let's do it – let's fall in love._

_The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it, not to mention the Finns._

_Folks in Siam do it – think of Siamese twins!_

_Some Argentines, without means, do it – people say in Boston beans do it._

_Let's do it – let's fall in love._

_Romantic sponges, they say, do it; oysters down in Oyster Bay do it._

_Let's do it – let's fall in love._

_Cold Cape Cod clams, 'gainst their wish, do it; even lazy jellyfish do it._

_Let's do it – let's fall in love._

_Electric eels, I might add, do it, though it shocks 'em, I know._

_Why ask if shad do it? Waiter, bring me shad roe._

_In shallow shoals, English soles do it; goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it._

_Let's do it – let's fall in love._

Draco looked down at the ground as he sang the last words, apparently unable to meet Harry's gaze.

 

"Hey," said Harry gently. "Don't back away now. Look at me – am I running away?"

 

"Well, you can't, can you?" Draco pointed out, smiling wryly. "You'd be screaming in pain within a minute. Although... I'm grateful that you don't seem as freaked out as I thought you might. Look... now that I think about it, it's probably not the best idea to discuss our long-term plans while we still don't have any choice about being together."

 

"That makes sense," said Harry. "But, just so you know... I think falling in love is definitely going to be an option. Especially if Cole Porter carries on being such an enabler."

 

Draco laughed delightedly. "He was gay, you know," he said. "He's probably watching us proudly. And jealously, actually – he couldn't be open about it when he was alive."

 

"Hmmm.... speaking of being open about it, we should discuss what we're going to say to the reporters when they inevitably start pestering us," said Harry.

 

Draco's face fell, and Harry felt a stab of disappointment from him. "I'll go along with whatever you think is best, of course," said Draco, in a neutral tone.

 

"What...? Oh, no! Draco, that's not what I meant. You think I want to keep all this a secret, don't you? But why would I? We haven't done anything wrong. And no, before you ask, I am not ashamed to be seen with you," said Harry. "I just meant that we don't want them to poke their noses into things that are none of their business, so we should plan exactly what we will allow them to know, and then refuse to answer any more questions. Look, I hate the fact that I'm used to dealing with the press, but it's definitely got easier since I realised that was the way to do it. And my main concern right now is that I want to be sure that your parents don't get brought into it."

 

Draco gave him a small smile. "Well, it means a lot to me that you've thought of that," he said. "Thank you. We'll need to be careful what we say about Ginny, too. We can't just ignore what she did – too many people saw it. But I'd hate to think she'd be made into a pariah because of it."

 

"That's thoughtful of you," said Harry. "I wonder if she's spoken to the press already? She may well have done. Anyway, I bet I can guess what their first question will be to us."

 

Draco looked at him quizzically.

 

"They'll want to know whether our feelings for each other only started with the bond, or whether either of us fancied the other before that," Harry said confidently. "I know how their minds work, I promise you."

 

"Hmm. I can see them asking that, I suppose," Draco admitted. "But I would have thought their first question would be whether we have feelings for each other."

 

"They won't need to ask that," said Harry. "I'm pretty sure it'll be obvious to anyone who sees us."

 

Draco smiled; he actually looked a little shy, which was not a look Harry would ever have expected to see on him. "I... don't know what to say to that," he said. "Other than that I'll be kind of happy if that turns out to be the case."

 

This reminded Harry that it had been far too long since he'd kissed Draco, and he set about rectifying that.

 

"I still want to know, though," he whispered into Draco's ear a few minutes later.

 

"Want to know what?" murmured Draco, whose eyes were closed; he stretched his head back to enable Harry to kiss more of his neck.

 

"When did it start, for you?"

 

Draco opened his eyes and stared at Harry for a moment; a blush appeared on his face. "Erm... Well, I wouldn't claim I loved you before yesterday, but... I have to admit I did realise quite a while ago that I fancied you. I never thought for a minute that anything would ever come of it, though, and I would never have dared approach you even if you hadn't been with Ginny. So you just became... well, someone I've daydreamed about from time to time."

 

"Only daydreamed? What about at night?" asked Harry, half-jokingly.

 

"There may have been one or two wanks with you in mind," admitted Draco, with a wry smile.

 

Harry grinned. "Well, I have to say that I think that's the nicest – and most surprising – thing anyone's ever said to me," he said. "Look, you know I already told you I haven't really thought seriously about anyone other than Ginny before yesterday. But, truth be told, I have always thought of you as the best-looking bloke I've ever known, if that counts? I'm not saying it would ever have occurred to me to do anything about it – it was just a sort of accepted fact that's been in my head for years. And now I know that you actually have a good heart too... well, there will be wanks with you in mind in my future, I can assure you."

 

"Fiendfyre," said Draco, looking pleased at Harry's statement.

 

"Huh?"

 

"That's when it started. Well, not actually during the Fiendfyre, but I realised soon afterwards that I hadn't been able to stop thinking about what you felt like when I was holding onto you," said Draco. "I tried to tell myself that it was because you'd come back to save my life when I would never have expected you to. But it was the feeling of your body that stuck in my mind. So now you know."

 

"I had no idea," said Harry. "I'm very flattered. I don't think I've ever been anyone's secret love before."

 

Draco laughed out loud. "Now you're reading my mind," he said. "I've been trying not to burst into that song for the last five minutes! And also... You're joking, right? Surely you must know that half the wizarding population is madly in love with you?"

 

Now it was Harry's turn to blush. "Well, I don't count people who don't know me," he said. "There's a song? Let's hear it, then. You know you want to."

 

"I think there are probably people who fancy you who'd surprise you," said Draco. "But I don't want to freak you out, so I won't speculate. Are you sure you want another song? I thought you'd be sick of them by now."

 

"Sick of them? Quite the opposite," said Harry. Draco smiled and began.

 

_Once I had a secret love that lived within the heart of me._

_All too soon, my secret love became impatient to be free._

_So I told a friendly star, the way that dreamers often do,_

_just how wonderful you are, and why I'm so in love with you._

_Now I shout it from the highest hills; even told the golden daffodils!_

_At last my heart's an open door, and my secret love's no secret any more._

 

The song had begun quietly, but when Draco got to the last verse he suddenly flung his arms out and sang at the top of his voice.

 

Harry laughed in delight, but then grimaced and grabbed Draco's hand. "Ow," he said.

 

"Sorry! Sorry! I forgot!" said Draco, looking mortified. "Are you OK?"

 

"I'm fine," Harry reassured him. "It's already better than it was yesterday, isn't it? It doesn't start to hurt at all for a minute or two."

 

"It'll be weird when we don't have to keep touching any more," said Draco.

 

"It might be a while before we realise," said Harry, "because I find I like touching you. I suspect I will want to keep doing it."

 

"I think I'll be able to cope with that," said Draco, and he smiled as Harry linked arms with him again, and they continued with their stroll through the grounds.

 

******

 

By Tuesday, the bond had indeed relaxed to the point where they didn't have to actually be touching; the pain only started if they were more than a few feet apart. It felt to Harry as if he and Draco had lived together forever, so easily had they fallen into a domestic routine. Even returning to work the previous day hadn't been particularly unsettling: Ron, it turned out, had talked to both Kingsley and Chris at the weekend about the partner swap, and it was all sorted out; in gratitude, Harry insisted that he would move into Draco's office rather than the other way round, so that Ron could keep his own desk.

 

Harry and Draco did get quite a few inquisitive stares when they walked around the Ministry together, but thankfully no-one had asked them any questions yet: they had given a carefully-crafted joint statement to the Daily Prophet on Sunday, and Harry mentally congratulated himself on having insisted, as part of this, that they should be left alone.

 

Late on Tuesday evening, they were just relaxing in the ballroom having a drink when Woopy announced the arrival of Lyudmila. She confirmed that the test results did appear to support the diagnosis of Alzheimer's, and Draco agreed, after some discussion, that there was nothing to be gained by taking his parents to the hospital for a brain scan to confirm the diagnosis beyond any doubt. Lyudmila had brought some good news, though.

 

"As you know, Mr Malfoy, there isn't really anything that we can do for your parents other than what you're already doing," she said. "But, as Mr Potter pointed out, there is something we can do for you, if you'll allow it. The hospital manager has agreed, as a gesture of goodwill in recognition of the fact that you did not receive assistance the first time you needed it, to provide two full-time live-in nurses for the next three years. They won't be you, of course, and it will undoubtedly take a little while for your parents to feel comfortable with them, but we have two people in mind who we believe will be able to do a good job, and they've both already agreed in principle. If they are needed for more than three years, they are both currently willing to stay longer, but you would have to pay them yourself if so."

 

Harry looked at Draco, who appeared to be speechless, but was nodding. "That sounds brilliant," said Harry. "It's very generous indeed. Thank you. Why two nurses, out of interest? Not that I'm turning one of them down, mind you."

 

"Well, it's so that we don't end up with the same problem we have now," explained Lyudmila. "Unfortunately it's almost certain that the patients' condition will get worse, and they will need increasing amounts of care. With two nurses, we can arrange it so that at least one of them will always be available, whatever the time of day or night, and they'll still both be able to have regular breaks. They'll sort that out between the two of them, don't worry. Of course, there may occasionally be unforeseen circumstances that mean that both of them are elsewhere and you have to be here yourselves, but hopefully at least this way we will free Mr Malfoy of some of his burden."

 

"Thank you," said Draco. "I can't tell you how grateful I am."

 

"I'd love to say that they'd do it for anyone," said Lyudmila, "but I have to admit that what's prompted this is mainly Mr Potter's involvement. From the management's point of view, at least. They're desperate for good publicity, and they were very embarrassed by the fuss he made on Saturday. No-one wants to be seen to be upsetting Harry Potter."

 

Harry frowned. "I suppose it was a bit too much to ask that they'd help Draco because he needed them to," he said. "But we're not going to refuse any help we can get. And I will tell the press what the hospital has done, if they like – but you'd better ask them whether they really want me to, because if I do make a statement then I'll be including the fact that they didn't help Draco the first time he asked. And I'll also be pointing out that there are other patients who would benefit from similar help, and that I'll be looking into ways to help them."

 

Lyudmila smiled. "You know, people have told me in the past that talking to you is a bit like being caught up in a whirlwind," she said. "I see now what they meant. Anyway, I will take my leave of you. I will remain as the Healer with direct responsibility for Mr Malfoy's parents, though, so we will meet again. Would it be convenient for the nurses to visit later this week and spend some time with the four of you? We want to make sure you're all happy with them before finalising the arrangements."

 

"That will be fine," said Draco. "Just ask them to let us know us in advance. And thank you, again."

 

The Healer waved and Apparated, just as Woopy came in with a piece of parchment, which he handed to Harry before bowing and leaving the room.

 

"Owl from Ginny," said Harry, unrolling it and reading. His eyes widened. "She says... She says she's found a way to break the bond."

 

******

 

Teatime the next day found Harry and Draco waiting for Ginny in the garden at The Burrow, both in a very subdued mood. Ginny's message had caused their nascent relationship to falter for the first time, and Harry wasn't sure how to fix things. Draco had instantly closed himself off emotionally, and he'd reacted noncommittally to all Harry's increasingly desperate attempts to talk to him. Harry had mainly been thinking out loud, wondering what the chances were of Ginny having found a solution where Hermione had failed. But he couldn't work out what exactly Draco was so upset about, and, when they'd gone up to bed shortly afterwards, Draco had apparently fallen asleep while Harry was still getting undressed, and – for the first time since they'd bonded – they'd slept side by side rather than intertwined.

 

"Hello, Harry," said Ginny cheerfully, breezing into the garden only ten minutes late. "And Draco, of course."

 

"Hello, Ginny," said Harry, as Draco nodded politely but remained silent. "So what's this solution you've found, then?"

 

"Straight to the point, eh? Fair enough," said Ginny. "It's like I said in my note. I've been asking around, and it turns out there is a way to break the bond after all. So we can be together again!"

 

Harry felt Draco withdrawing into himself, and glared at Ginny. "First of all, I think you must have forgotten our last conversation, in which I told you that I didn't want to get back with you," he said icily. "Second of all, I'm going to take some convincing before I believe that there's a way to reverse this that even Hermione can't find."

 

Ginny stared at him, wide-eyed. "But... I thought you were just saying that," she said. "Because you had no choice. But now you do have a choice! Why aren't you pleased?"

 

"I was not just saying that," Harry told her. "I have been happier with Draco in the past few days than I've been with you in years. I'm sorry – it's not because there's anything wrong with you, it's just that I feel more comfortable with him." He took Draco's hand, which felt oddly cold and lifeless; worriedly, he started stroking Draco's thumb with his own, and was reassured when he felt Draco relax slightly, although Draco still didn't speak.

 

Ginny was gazing at their hands with a puzzled look on her face as Harry spoke again. "And you still haven't told me how you managed to find this supposed solution," he said. "Hermione said there was no way the spell could be reversed. Are you saying she's wrong? Do you have proof?"

 

"Well, she's not wrong. Not strictly," said Ginny. "The bonding spell can't be reversed, as far as I know. But it turns out there's another spell that can help. It masks the effects of the bond. So you'd still be bonded to Draco, but you wouldn't feel as if you were. You wouldn't have to be near him all the time, and you wouldn't be aware of his feelings."

 

"And what about Draco?" asked Harry, although he suspected he already knew what her answer would be.

 

"What about Draco?" replied Ginny, looking confused.

 

"You'd cast this spell on me so I wouldn't be aware of the bond, but surely he'd still feel the effects of it, wouldn't he?" said Harry.

 

"Oh... well, yes, I suppose he would," said Ginny. "But I could easily cast it on him as well, if you want."

 

"If I WANT?" Harry shouted. "Ginny, the fact that it obviously never even occurred to you to think about Draco makes me wonder why I stayed with you as long as I did. But I don't think I ever realised you could be this heartless. So, thanks but no thanks. This bond has made me happier than I ever dreamed I could be, and it's not even a week old yet, so I have no wish to mask it. Unless... Draco, do you want to mask the bond? If you do, I'd understand."

 

Draco looked directly at him for the first time that day, and smiled. "No, I do not wish to mask the bond," he said. Then he turned to Ginny. "Thank you, Ginny, for bringing the possibility to our attention, however. In fact, I suppose I ought to thank you for casting the bonding spell in the first place, ill-advised as it seemed at the time. Without it, I doubt whether Harry and I would ever have ended up together, and I, like him, am very happy indeed."

 

Ginny's jaw dropped, but before she could speak Harry stood up, pulling Draco with him. "I think our business here is done," he said, and Apparated them back to the Manor.

 

Draco wrapped his arms around Harry as soon as they arrived, and they stood there in a desperate hug for several minutes.

 

"Alright now?" asked Harry, when he felt Draco start to relax.

 

"Better," said Draco into Harry's shoulder.

 

"And are you going to tell me what you were so upset about before?" asked Harry. "I know I was missing something, but I couldn't tell what it was. And you wouldn't talk to me. I could just feel that you were sad."

 

"Sorry," said Draco. "It was nothing, really. It's OK now, so it doesn't matter."

 

"It does matter! Especially if it was my fault! Because I don't want to cause that feeling ever again! So please tell me what I did." Harry drew back slightly so he could see Draco's face.

 

"You didn't do anything, really," said Draco. "It was just me being pathetic."

 

"Will you let me be the judge of that?" said Harry. "Go on – what was it?"

 

"It was just... When you read that message last night, I suppose I hoped you'd say immediately that you didn't want to break the bond. But instead you kept going on about whether or not Hermione might be wrong, so I assumed you were thinking about breaking it," said Draco.

 

"What?!? No!" said Harry. "I thought you knew how I felt? Haven't I made it clear? And I did say I didn't want to break the bond!"

 

"You didn't say that till we were with Ginny just now, though," Draco pointed out. "And, yes, you had said how you felt, but when it suddenly seemed as if you wanted to break the bond I started to think you were just being nice."

 

Harry stared at Draco, torn between wanting to shake some sense into him and wanting to kiss him so thoroughly that there would be no further doubting of feelings. He settled for the latter, and was relieved to gradually sense Draco finally becoming calmer.

 

"Listen," said Harry when they paused for breath, "I'm sorry. You're right, I should have said it straight away. But I think I'd sort of already realised, when Hermione told us it couldn't be broken, that I was happy about that, so in my head the decision was already made long before we got Ginny's message. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear."

 

"Well, you didn't," Draco told him. "But it's OK. It's partly my fault, anyway. I've got so used to keeping everything to myself that I'm not very good at voicing my feelings. I'll try to get better."

 

"We'll both try to get better," said Harry. "Now, it's still an hour before we'll be eating, so how about you sing to me in the meantime? You always look happier when you're singing."

 

"I need to get better at showing my feelings too, if that's the case," Draco said. "Because I feel as if I've been happy almost all the time, since you've been here. But I suppose I do try to be more expressive when I'm performing."

 

Harry hugged him as they walked into the ballroom. "As long as you are happy, that's all that matters," he said.

 

"Well, let's see if I can find a song that makes it clear," said Draco, flicking through his songbooks. "Ah! Perfect!"

 

Look at me: I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree, and I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud.

I can't understand; I get misty just holding your hand.

 

Walk my way, and a thousand violins begin to play, or it might be the sound of your hello, that music I hear; I get misty the moment you're near.

 

You can say that you're leading me on, but it's just what I want you to do.

Don't you notice how hopelessly I'm lost? That's why I'm following you.

 

On my own, would I wander through this wonderland alone?

Never knowing my right foot from my left, my hat from my glove?

I'm too misty, and too much in love.

 

Harry sat on the piano stool as Draco played the last few chords, and leaned his head on Draco's shoulder. "Did you mean all of that?" he asked, not daring to look at Draco's face as he did so.

 

"Every word," whispered Draco; Harry could feel him worrying, but thought he could guess why.

 

"That's a relief, because I thought I must be going mad," said Harry.

 

"Mad? Why?"

 

"For realising that I'd fallen in love with you after only a few days together," admitted Harry. "Because I do, Draco. I really do love you."

 

He lifted his head to look at Draco, and was struck anew by how beautiful he was, especially when he looked as happy as he did now; Harry didn't recall ever seeing Draco happy before the last week, and wondered whether his opinion of him might have changed sooner if he had.

 

"Since we're both aiming to be better at communication, I should tell you that I really do love you, too," said Draco, still beaming. "I know I've indicated it in lots of songs, but I thought I should probably say it at least once, too."

 

"We love each other," said Harry wonderingly, before kissing Draco to see if it felt any different with this new-found knowledge. (It did.)

 

"We do, apparently," said Draco, grinning. He started to play a lively chord sequence on the piano. "I didn't quite dare sing this one before, because it was a bit presumptuous, but in light of what you've just said..."

 

_I'm just wild about Harry, and Harry's wild about me._

_The heavenly blisses of his kisses fill me with ecstasy._

_He's sweet, just like chocolate candy, or like the honey from a bee._

_Oh, I'm just wild about Harry, and he's just wild about me!_

_Oh, I'm just wild about Harry, and he's just wild about –_

_Cannot do without –_

_He's just wild about me!_

 

"He is," agreed Harry. "And he's decided he wants to take you to bed. Right now. He wants to know if you'd be OK with that?"

 

"Tell him I could be persuaded," said Draco, his eyes dancing with amusement; a minute later, they were racing up the stairs, hand in hand.

 

******

 

Later that night, they were back in bed, having turned in for the night considerably earlier than usual. They'd both forgotten about the lack of available time before dinner, which had meant that they had got no further than frantic mutual hand-jobs. Although this was still a lot more than they'd ever done before – despite sleeping together every night, they hadn't ventured beyond hugging and kissing – they were both left frustrated and desperate for more.

 

Now, though, they were taking the opportunity to properly explore one another's bodies. Harry was attempting to kiss every part of Draco's body, while Draco was running his fingers over whichever parts of Harry he could reach.

 

"Can I try sucking your cock?" asked Harry, when he reached it. "I really want to. Only... I've never done it before, so you'll have to tell me if I do it wrong."

 

"I don't really see how you could do it wrong, as long as you don't actually bite," said Draco, somewhat shakily. "I'd be delighted to be your test case, though."

 

Harry flashed him a grin and licked a tentative stripe up the side of his cock, before engulfing the end of it in his mouth. Draco instantly threw his head back and arched his spine, which pleased Harry immensely. He decided to see whether or not he could make Draco shout out; the answer, it turned out, was yes, when Harry started to hum while trying to get the full length of the cock in his mouth at once. Moments later, Harry found himself with a mouth full of come. He tried to swallow as much as he could, but some of it dribbled out.

 

"Sorry," said Draco breathlessly. "Should've warned you."

 

"It's OK," said Harry. "It tasted better than I expected. Was that alright, then? Or could it have been better?"

 

"Are you kidding? That was the best blowjob I've ever had," Draco said. "Admittedly, it was only the third one I've ever had, but it was far and away the best of the three. And both of the others had done it before, so you're doing pretty well for a beginner."

 

Harry blushed, feeling ridiculously proud. "Well, I'm glad," he said. "I'm going to want to try again at some point, though, just so you know."

 

"Not before I've returned the favour," said Draco. "I've been fantasising about this for years, remember. Although, now you've added to the pressure by being a blowjob natural, I'm not sure I dare try."

 

"Draco, just having your mouth near my cock is making me hard," Harry told him. "There's nothing you could do that wouldn't be amazing."

 

"Well, if you insist," said Draco, and bent his head down. Harry lay back and spread his legs, feeling quite brazen and sluttish; his hips jerked off the bed when Draco unexpectedly began by licking his balls.

 

"Fucking hell, Draco, that feels amazing," said Harry weakly. "I've never had that done to me before. Don't stop."

 

Draco looked up at Harry, and Harry decided that the word that best described his expression was 'sultry'. But then all thoughts of vocabulary flew out of Harry's head as Draco began to lick every part of his cock, alternating his licks with brief swirls of his tongue around its head. When Draco finally put the tip of his tongue inside the slit, Harry shuddered, and Draco instantly wrapped his mouth around as much of the whole cock as he could, maintaining his suction as Harry came harder than he'd ever done before.

 

"Oh my God," said Harry several minutes later, when he'd regained the power of speech. "That was the best thing I think I've ever felt."

 

"I'm pleased to hear that," said Draco, who was resting his head on Harry's chest. "Although I hope that doesn't mean you'll be disappointed next time I do it."

 

"I can't imagine I will be," said Harry. "But did it live up to your expectations? You did say you'd been dreaming about it."

 

"It was better," Draco told him. "Because when I dreamed about it I never imagined your reaction. I was just dreaming about what it would feel like for me. But the fact that I could tell how much you enjoyed it made it a hundred times better. I love the thought of pleasing you."

 

"Well, you did," said Harry, beaming. Then he had a thought. "Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but... will it always feel this good? I mean, when the bond's faded a bit? I know you said it doesn't force us to do anything sexually. But does it enhance the experience at all?"

 

"Not physically," said Draco. "The fact that we're bonded means that we're much more emotionally attached than a couple that isn't bonded, though, so that will make any sexual experience more intense. But the emotional connection will grow, not diminish, the longer we're bonded. The initial physical aspects just exist to give that connection time to form."

 

"So... you're saying the sex will get even better," said Harry slowly. He grinned. "We may have to give up work. I'm not sure there's going to be enough time in the day for us to spend a sufficient proportion of it in bed, otherwise."

 

"It'll help when we have the nurses," Draco pointed out, tilting his head so he could lick Harry's nipples. "We won't always have to go downstairs for meals."

 

Harry sighed in pleasure, writhing slightly in response to Draco's tongue. "That's a good point," he said huskily. "OK, maybe we don't have to stop work just yet. But we are definitely putting a lock on our office door."

 

Draco moved up the bed until his head was next to Harry's, and kissed him. Harry was intrigued by the taste of his own come in Draco's mouth, and explored this thoroughly with his tongue for a while. Then he had an idea, and jumped out of the bed to get down on one knee.

 

Draco stared at him with a confused look on his face. "What are you... oh!" His expression became guarded but hopeful. At least, Harry hoped so.

 

"Draco, please will you marry me?" he asked. He felt a little silly asking this question naked, but at least his cock appeared to be definitely in favour of it. Draco noticed this and smirked.

 

"Harry, we're already married. Well, as good as," he said.

 

"I know that," said Harry. "But 'as good as' isn't good enough. I want the proper ceremony. I want to show people that I'm choosing this. That I'm choosing you. I don't want everyone to think we're only together because Ginny was drunk."

 

"Are you sure?" asked Draco. "You don't have to, you know. As long as we know that, it's good enough for me. But... if you're sure, then I'd love to marry you."

 

Harry jumped back onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Draco, kissing him all over his face. Their cocks rubbed up against each other in the process, and this frottage intensified rapidly until they both came again, moments later.

 

"Thank you," said Harry, as they regained their breath. "I didn't think it was possible for me to be happier than I already was, but I am."

 

"I was about to say 'ditto', but that's not very romantic, is it?" said Draco. "So I'm going to have to enlist the help of Cole Porter again."

 

_Night and day, you are the one;_

_only you beneath the moon and under the sun._

_Whether near to me or far, it's no matter, darling, where you are;_

_I think of you night and day._

_Day and night, why is it so_

_that this longing for you follows wherever I go?_

_In the roaring traffic's boom, in the silence of my lonely room,_

_I think of you night and day._

_Night and day, under the hide of me,_

_there's an – oh! – such a hungry yearning burning inside of me._

_And its torment won't be through till you let me spend my life making love to you,_

_day and night, night and day._

 

******

 

Six weeks later

 

"I declare you bonded for life," said Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Concatena." He lifted his wand above the heads of Harry and Draco, and a shower of silver stars descended.

 

"I'd forgotten about the stars!" Harry blurted out, and then blushed as everyone laughed. Draco grinned and kissed him, which caused the polite round of applause to become a cacophony of whistles and cheers echoing around the ballroom.

 

The stars, in fact, hadn't vanished by the time the kiss ended; they had arranged themselves in an effervescent spiral surrounding both Draco and Harry.

 

"Huh," said Ron, from the front row of the congregation. "Never seen that before."

 

"Neither have I," said Kingsley. "But I suspect it may be something to do with the fact that there was already a bond in place."

 

"Speaking of which, I have something to say," said Ginny, getting up from her seat next to Ron and walking to Kingsley's side. Draco looked at Harry, obviously alarmed, but Harry grinned at him. "Don't worry, I know about this," he whispered.

 

"As you all know, this bonding originally happened because I was an idiot," said Ginny. "But in this case I'm glad I was an idiot, because otherwise we might never have found out how well these two are suited. They bring out the best in each other, and I think they're both better people when they're together. I didn't think they'd ever forgive me for what I did, and I wouldn't have blamed them. But they've both been kind and thoughtful to me, even when I didn't deserve it. And I want to tell them both, on behalf of everyone here, that we love them, and that we're all thrilled to see them so happy."

 

A deafening racket of cheering and clapping broke out, but Ginny wasn't finished.

 

"I do have one more task," she said. "Not many of you know this, but Draco is an excellent singer, and he's sung many songs to Harry since they've been together. But, Draco, Harry has a surprise for you. He's been practising for weeks, and now he would like to sing a song to you."

 

Ginny went back to her seat, grinning, as Draco looked at Harry in amazement.

 

"It was quite difficult to practise this without you finding out, Draco, given that we still had to be in close proximity to each other until a week or two ago," said Harry. "So I need to thank my co-conspirators Beth and Ravi for all their help." He nodded to the two nurses sitting either side of Lucius and Narcissa, and the female nurse got up and went over to the piano.

 

Harry took both of Draco's hands in his, as Beth played the intro, and then sang looking directly into his eyes.

_Some day, when I'm awfully low, when the world is cold,_

_I will feel a glow just thinking of you, and the way you look tonight._

_Oh, but you're lovely, with your smile so warm and your cheeks so soft._

_There is nothing for me but to love you, just the way you look tonight._

_With each word your tenderness grows, tearing my fear apart,_

_and that laugh that wrinkles your nose, it touches my foolish heart._

_Lovely... never, never change. Keep that breathless charm._

_Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you just the way you look tonight._

Harry's voice cracked with emotion during the last line, and tears were running down his cheeks. Draco wiped them away, and kissed him before whispering in his ear. It took a moment before the applause began, because it seemed that everyone was sniffling, but when it did it quickly became a roar.

 

"Listen, everyone, you're clapping the wrong person," insisted Harry, as the applause died down. "There's no way I'm letting you go without hearing a real singer. One I love very much. Draco, please will you sing for me? In front of all our family and friends?"

 

Draco looked at him, his eyes brimming with tears. "Harry, I'll do anything for you," he said. "There are so many songs I've already sung to you, and so many more that I haven't. But this is one I haven't done yet, and I think it fits the bill." He sat down at the piano, smiling at Beth as she moved aside.

 

_If they asked me, I could write a book about the way you walk and whisper and look._

_I could write a preface on how we met, so the world will never forget._

_And the simple secret of the plot is just to tell them that I love you a lot._

_Then the world discovers, as my book ends, how to make two lovers of friends._

  

THE END

 

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**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: I did briefly consider warning for excessive song lyrics, but that would have spoiled the moment when Draco first sang! So I decided to hope that anyone who would be likely to really hate the song aspect would be put off by the story's title.
> 
> There are many, many versions of all the songs which were included in this story, but here are some of my favourites, in case you want to know any of the tunes.
> 
> SONGS INCLUDED:
> 
> LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE (from 'Follow the Fleet') - Irving Berlin  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUrRoMtewPw
> 
> AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ - Fats Waller, Harry Brooks & Andy Razaf  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5b6sFcAULU
> 
> YOU DO SOMETHING TO ME - Cole Porter  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b28br15q0qY
> 
> IF I LOVED YOU (from 'Carousel') - Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuHAh-2xGxw
> 
> Mentioned but not sung: QUE SERA SERA - Jay Livingston & Ray Evans  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc
> 
> TONIGHT (from 'West Side Story') - Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_QffCZs-bg
> 
> I GOT RHYTHM - George & Ira Gershwin  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9yhHpNK90Y
> 
> MAYBE THIS TIME (from 'Cabaret') - John Kander & Fred Ebb  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3rkLRJ0m0k
> 
> ALL THE WAY - Jimmy Van Heusen & Sammy Cahn  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmFaNuT-20g
> 
> I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN - Cole Porter  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS6L2NP62Wk
> 
> LET'S DO IT - Cole Porter  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0hzu-ShDHc
> 
> SECRET LOVE (from 'Calamity Jane') - Sammy Fain & Paul Francis Webster  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL87sHjXlVU
> 
> MISTY - Erroll Garner & Johnny Burke  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd3pDM2f6Y8
> 
> I'M JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY - Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDu-qmYtEdU
> 
> NIGHT AND DAY - Cole Porter  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEM_63_P0CY
> 
> THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT - Jerome Kern & Dorothy Fields  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VywfSHIdIkk
> 
> I COULD WRITE A BOOK (from 'Pal Joey') - Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aI7-BIzqFM
> 
> And a special mention to this one, which wasn't mentioned in the story but was the inspiration for the name of the elf:
> 
> MAKIN' WHOOPEE - Walter Donaldson & Gus Kahn  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaYD7EGf2k8
> 
> There are, of course, many more jazz standards which weren't mentioned. Wikipedia has a list of some of them, in case you're interested (I say 'some', because it doesn't even have most of the ones above):  
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_jazz_standards


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